A SCHOOLBOY has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a child and two adults were allegedly attacked at a school.
Emergency services were raced to The Birley Academy this morning after an incident plunged the school into lockdown.
Cops this afternoon said it was understood a boy wielding broken glass attacked a student and two adults.
Officers said the trio had to be checked over by paramedics and the school confirmed it had gone into lockdown.
A teen, 17, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remained in police custody on Wednesday afternoon.
Parents have taken to social media to share their shock over the incident after their youngsters messaged to say they were “hiding under desks”.
Dad Nathan Henderson said he had raced to the school after his daughter had messaged to say she was “under a table crying”.
He said: “I was a bit overwhelmed, so I nearly climbed over the gates at one point.”
One mum, Sophie Jones, said her daughter texted her in a panic saying the lights had gone off and the doors were locked.
She told BBC: “It was really scary. I asked if she was joking because it seemed a really surreal situation.
“She has told me she was OK since then and I’m quite reassured that she is safe.”
Another parent told The Star: “She said it was really calm. They were in their rooms. The alarm went off and they were locked in their classrooms.
“There’s rumours but I actually don’t know what happened.
“The school have been good, they’ve been really communicative. It sounds like they reacted really quickly.”
Snaps from the school showed South Yorkshire Police guarding the area, with people gathered outside.
The force this afternoon said the student was assaulted, and one of two adults was believed to have been attacked with broken glass.
Assistant Chief Constable Dan Thorpe this afternoon said all three were checked over and suffered just minor injuries.
He praised the school staff for their actions following the “frightening ordeal”, saying they “helped keep the school community safe”.
Mr Thorpe said the incident “will no doubt cause ongoing concern” and that officers would continue to patrol the area and be available for the community.
School head Victoria Hall said: “I just wanted to thank all of our students and staff who helped manage the situation this morning, and our staff who prioritised the safety and wellbeing of all of our students.”
Mrs Hall also praised the students’ “exemplary behaviour”, saying the school will be open on Thursday morning as usual.
The force said this morning: “Officers are at the scene after responding to reports of an incident involving a sharp object at the school on Birley Lane at around 8.50am.
“Two adults have been taken to hospital with minor injuries to be checked over.
“A child is also being checked over in hospital after being assaulted.
“A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody.”
Yorkshire Ambulance added: “An ambulance attended an incident at Birley Academy in Sheffield on Wednesday morning.
“A number of patients were checked over on scene and did not need to be conveyed to hospital.”
They said police will remain at the Sheffield school for the remainder of the day.
Birley Community College headteacher Hall sent out an email to parents in the wake of the alleged attack.
She wrote: “There has been an incident in school this morning.
“I want to reassure you that all staff and students are safe and well.
“Emergeny services attended immediately and are in attendance.
“All staff and students are safe. I will update you on next steps as soon as I am given guidance from the police.
“Please do not attend school at the moment.
“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
A spokesperson for The Birley Academy also said: “This morning we went into lockdown following an incident at the school and have since taken the decision to close the school.
“The safety of students and staff is paramount and all students and staff are safe.
“Three people were treated for minor injuries at the scene and no one was taken to hospital.
“We would like to praise our staff for their professionalism and our students for the way they responded.
“We continue to work closely with the police and will update as required.”
A school leaders’ union described an incident at The Birley Academy in Sheffield as “shocking”.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “The reports coming out of Sheffield are shocking and very upsetting.
“Our thoughts are with everyone in the Birley school community.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further until further details about what has taken place are established by the appropriate authorities.”
While Sheffield Councillor for Birley, Denise Fox, told of her shock.
She said: “It has always been regarded as a good school locally, and a good, safe school.
“My thoughts are with the people at the school I’m gobsmacked. This will have come as a complete shock to everyone. People must be in a terrible state over this.
“Something has gone wrong and now we need to investigate what.”
It comes just days after a Welsh school was thrown into lockdown when a schoolgirl stabbed two teachers and a pupil.
A 13-year-old was charged with attempted murder on Thursday after last week’s attack.
Two teachers and a schoolgirl were slashed in the playground of Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday last week.
The chaos ended after hero teacher Darrel Campbell grabbed the teenage girl and put her in an arm lock.
Police later swooped on the school and arrested the 13-year-old suspect.
She has now been charged with three counts of attempted murder.
Head of Year Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin and another schoolgirl were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Mrs Hopkin, 53, who works with special needs students, was stabbed four times.
She is “quite seriously hurt” but has since been discharged from hospital, her husband John said.
Dyfed-Powys Police said on Thursday the child victim, as well as Ms Elias, have also been discharged from hospital.
Then, on Friday, a second Welsh school went into “partial” lockdown after “threatening messages” were sent out.
Gwent Police confirmed that Ebbw Fawr Learning Community secondary campus was shut down.
Cops rushed to the scene and arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of making threats.
Cops' latest statement:
Assistant chief constable Dan Thorpe said: “Our officers attended the scene and within minutes of the initial call, we had arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder.
“The three victims of the incident – two adults and a child – suffered minor injuries and were checked over at the scene by colleagues from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
“The two adults both suffered minor injuries – one from a sharp object that’s believed to be broken glass.
“The child was assaulted and thankfully has no visible injuries.
“This will have been a frightening ordeal for everyone involved.
“I would like to take this opportunity to praise academy staff for the actions they took this morning to help keep the staff and school community safe.
“We are working very closely with the academy and our partners and will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks.”