Stabbed girl's parents describe helpless wait for news

According to the BBC, the parents of a teenage girl stabbed at a Norfolk school have spoken of the anguish of being unreachable as the crisis unfolded — her mother abroad, her father working in a dead zone with no phone signal.

The 15-year-old was stabbed in the back by a fellow pupil at Thorpe St Andrew School near Norwich on March 11. She was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and discharged the following day. A 15-year-old boy has since been charged with attempted murder and is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court on April 10.

Her mother was overseas when she received the call. "When I got the call I was abroad. I needed to get home as quickly as possible," she said. "You can't put your feelings into words. I wished I had superpowers to get home."

The uncertainty of those early hours was what proved hardest to bear. "At first I didn't know if my daughter was stable enough. I couldn't get the answers I needed. Not knowing how badly she had been attacked, whether she was still safe — or the other children — was unimaginable, horrific."

Her father said he had been working in a location with no signal when messages began flooding in. "Luckily I managed to get a little signal and my phone went crazy with lots of messages," he said. "I was able to reach my daughter and she explained, and a friend helped me get to the hospital and get to her as quickly as possible."

Both parents spoke warmly of the support they received from the school and wider community in the days that followed. "It was overwhelming — the messages, the gifts, the flowers, the baskets were endless," the mother said. "Seeing how a community can come together, show support and love — it was truly, truly eye-opening."

She also paid tribute to the school's staff. "One of the teachers went in the ambulance and was truly a support. We can't thank them enough."

The girl's father said he remained cautious about her return to full-time education. "She needs to be reintegrated into society gradually. It's a huge challenge she's been through. She'll get there because she's very strong — but it will take time."

He described taking her to a sports match on Saturday because she wanted to go. "All the girls ran up to her and celebrated with her. The support was incredible. It gave her confidence that so many people had her back."

In a statement issued last week, Broad Horizons Education Trust chief executive Owen Jenkins praised the response of staff and pupils during the lockdown. "We understand how worrying this event was for families and want to thank our students who coped so well," he said.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded into youth custody on Thursday.