CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council has met with all headteachers of schools in the county to provide reassurances following the triple stabbing at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
Emergency services were called to reports of injuries at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman at around 11.20am on Wednesday, April 24, and a 13-year-old girl was arrested at the scene.
The girl has been remanded to youth detention accommodation after appearing in court charged with three offences of attempted murder and one offence of possession of a knife on school premises.
She will appear at Swansea Crown Court next month to enter her pleas.
Assistant headteacher Fiona Elias, additional learning needs coordinator Liz Hopkin, and a teenager were taken to hospital and treated for knife wounds, but were all discharged the following day.
During the incident, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman was placed under lockdown for several hours, with pupils being allowed to leave at around 3.15pm.
Gareth Morgans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s director of education, told the South Wales Guardian that the lockdown was “implemented effectively” in what was “an isolated incident”.
He said that that council was continuing to work closely with Dyfed-Powys Police, and had met headteachers from across the local authority area on Monday morning to provide assurances.
“Maintaining the safety of our whole school community continues to be of paramount importance to the county council,” Mr Morgans said.
“This was an isolated incident, and as implemented effectively at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, every school setting across Carmarthenshire has robust lockdown procedures which are agreed in collaboration with the council.
“We are working closely with Dyfed Powys Police and have met with all Carmarthenshire headteachers this morning (Monday, April 29), to provide reassurance to school communities.”
“I cannot comprehend what staff and pupils experienced on Wednesday,” she said. “I would like to thank all members of staff for prioritising the welfare and safety of pupils at the school for four hours, and the pupils for responding so maturely and sensibly in a situation that no one expects to happen.
“One of our school's core values is 'resilience', and there is no doubt that pupils have demonstrated this value in coping with a situation they should never have experienced.
“The last few days have shown that there is no other community quite like the Ysgol Dyffryn Aman community, and we will be working to support each other in the coming days and weeks.
“Many thanks to the parents of the school for their co-operation and understanding at such a difficult time and of course to the wider community and external agencies who have been so willing to support the staff and pupils.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our school community for all the support and kind messages that I have received,” Ms Hopkin said.
“I have been overwhelmed by the kindness from the close community that we have here.”
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