School where girl was stabbed to use metal detectors

A secondary school where a pupil was stabbed last month has introduced metal detectors as part of its safeguarding procedures.

Handheld metal detector wands will be introduced on a "random basis" and operated by staff at Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich.

Broad Horizons Education Trust, which runs the school and sixth form, said the decision to use wands was taken before the incident, in line with government guidance on the use of mobile phones issued in February.

A school spokesperson said: "This is about maintaining a safe and orderly environment and supporting our expectations around items being used appropriately in school... identifying any other prohibited items."

The school went into lockdown on 11 March after a teenage girl was stabbed in the back and treated in hospital.

A 15-year-old boy, who could not be named for legal reasons, was later charged with attempted murder. He is due to go on trial in October but has not yet entered a plea.

The school is one of the biggest in Norwich and has more than 1,800 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

At its latest Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, it was rated good across all areas with "effective safeguarding" after it was previously rated as "requires improvement" in 2022.

The spokesperson continued: "It builds on our existing systems and does not imply any suspicion of individual students.

"As always, our focus is on making sure students feel safe and are able to focus on their learning."

Commenting on the use of metal detectors in schools, Alan Bliss, chairman of trustees at the Joe Dix Foundation, said he "welcomed anything that saves lives".

The anti-knife crime charity was set up by the family of Joe Dix after he was fatally stabbed on the Mile Cross estate in Norwich in January 2022.

Bliss said: "The best way is to make kids understand the dangers and the repercussions of carrying a knife.

"Just saying we'll get a metal detector here that means no one will bring a knife in, I think is only a small part of a much larger problem."

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