Special needs teacher & head of year stabbed in school playground attack before hero colleague ‘disarmed teen girl’

A special needs teacher and head of year were stabbed in a school playground before a hero colleague managed to "disarm a teen girl".

Police swooped on Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, after receiving horrifying calls of a knife attack on Wednesday morning.

Liz Hopkin works as a special needs teacher at the schoolCredit: WNS

Fiona Elias has been identified as one of the teachers stabbed in the frenzyCredit: Facebook

 

Darrell Campbell disarmed a teenager with a knife at the school on WednesdayCredit: Facebook

 

Two teachers, who have now been identified, were reportedly assaulted in the frenzy along with a pupil, before the suspect was tackled to the ground.

Drama and Welsh teacher Fiona Elias, who is also the head of year seven, was rushed to hospital after being knifed in the neck, it is alleged.

A second teacher, Liz Hopkin, who works with special needs students, is also understood to have been stabbed.

The colleagues are said to be recovering and are "lucky to be alive".

A source told MailOnline: "The teacher targeted in the attack is lucky to be alive. She was stabbed in the neck, it was incredibly serious, but we have been told she will recover.

"A second teacher was also stabbed and a pupil who tried to intervene was stabbed."

During the mayhem, hero teacher Darrell Campbell "wrestled the knife" out of the teen girl’s grip.

He put her into an armlock until cops and emergency services arrived, say witnesses.

He was not harmed during the brave act.

The girl has since been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody.

The school was plunged into a "code red" lockdown as terrified pupils were locked in classrooms.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed two teachers and a teen pupil were rushed to hospital with stab wounds.

The shocking aftermath of the knife attack was captured on video as one boy yelled: "That girl’s got stabbed".

The video, which we are choosing not to show, appears to show two girls on the ground in an outside area of the school before one is pulled away by staff.

You just don’t expect it, you send your children to school and think they will be safe

Lisa Barrett, Parent

One boy can be heard saying: "What the f***, what the f***?" before a teacher orders the students to "get to class now".

Shocked pupils reportedly hopped over 7ft-high fences to escape the horror this morning.

One told The Times: “I was upstairs in English class. I walked out and someone told me this girl got stabbed.

"I didn’t believe her and then heard on the tannoy ‘code red’. So I ran out and jumped the [7ft-high perimeter] fence. A teacher told us not to jump the fence but we did anyway for our safety.”

Parents reported their children were told to stay in classrooms while police swooped on the scene.

Lisa Barrett, whose daughter attends the school, added: “She sent me a text to say the school was in lockdown. It’s really worrying.

"You hear from your child saying someone has been stabbed, you don’t know what to do for the best.

"You just don’t expect it, you send your children to school and think they will be safe.

"It is comforting to know they are locked in the classrooms though."

Pupils were let out of the school around four hours later and were seen hugging their tearful parents at the gates.

Thomas Brown