All Saints school Sheffield stabbing victim, 15, dies as teenager arrested

A 15-year-old boy has died after being seriously injured in a stabbing at a school in Sheffield, police have said.

He was injured at All Saints Catholic High School, in Granville Road in the city, at about 12:17 GMT.

Police and paramedics were called but the teenager died a short time later.

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody, South Yorkshire Police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield told a press conference that the investigation was at an early stage and said officers remained at the scene to offer “reassurance to parents and residents”.

“We urge you to be mindful that there are loved ones at the centre of this,” she added.

The officer said the force was working “at pace to build a full picture of what had happened and how this tragedy unfolded”.

A large police presence remained at the school and in the immediate area.

All Saints head teacher Sean Pender had sent a message to parents on 29 January about a lockdown at the site.

In it, he said the action was due to “threatening behaviour between a small number of students”.

ACC Butterfield was asked during the news conference about the reports but the officer said she could not share any information relating to it.

She concluded the press conference by urging people to avoid speculation and the sharing of content online “which could be distressing to them [the family] and detrimental to our investigation”.

“We urge anyone with any information that they believe can assist us to get in touch,” she added.

The school was last inspected by Ofsted in October 2023 and was rated as Good overall, with inspectors saying the school had a “strong ethos of warmth and respect”.

A number of parents had arrived at the school to collect their children earlier.

One told the BBC they were keen to get their youngster home after hearing a variety of rumours about what had happened, adding the “kids were getting panicked”.

Louise Haigh, the MP for Sheffield Heeley, said the news was “horrific”.

“All my thoughts are with his family and friends and the entire community at All Saints.

“A criminal investigation will now obviously take place but serious questions will have to be answered about how this could have happened and I will be working with the school, the police and the council to make sure they are.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was “devastated” by the boy’s death.

Amaan Ahmed, who manages the Castle Asian Community Trust near the school, said the area was no stranger to knife crime.

The organisation works with young people to help them stay away from knives.

He feared the boy’s death would leave parents wondering if they should send their children back to school.

“If it can happen in a public place like a school, people will be worried about going to the park I think too,” he added.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said he had spoken with Lauren Poultney, the county’s chief constable, and offered her his full support.

“This morning a teenage boy went to school like thousands of others across South Yorkshire but won’t come home; a young man who was a member of our community, with his whole life ahead of him,” he said.

“The vast majority of our young people don’t carry knives, but one incidence of knife crime is one too many, because when we do see knife crime happen all too often the consequences are utterly devastating, as they have been today,” he added.

According to the local newspaper The Star, the school’s head teacher Sean Pender sent a message to parents today.

He said it was with “shock and sorrow” that he had to tell people a pupil had been fatally stabbed.

He also said the school would be closed on Tuesday.

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