A school tribute to a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death outside a Huddersfield school

The school of a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed to death has said it is “absolutely devastated” by the loss of a “wonderful pupil”.

In a statement published on the North Huddersfield Trust School website, head Andrew Fell said: “It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that following the incident on Woodhouse Hill Road yesterday, one of our pupils has tragically lost his life.

The attack happened in Woodhouse Hill at 2.45pm on Wednesday, near the entrance to North Huddersfield Trust School.

The victim was treated at the scene and taken to Leeds General Infirmary for emergency surgery.

Mr Fell added that the news was “truly shocking” for the school and that classes would not resume until 10.30am while support was made available to pupils who needed it.

Mr Fell said: “West Yorkshire Police have launched an urgent investigation and it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time. I urge everyone not to speculate on possible causes or perpetrators and to leave the inquiry to the police. The statement was published.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the student’s family and friends, who must feel, as we do, completely devastated. They lost a loved one, and we lost a wonderful student from our school community.”

A 46-year-old father who has a son in school said Yorkshire live: “It was a scary moment when I found out that there was a problem and that the teacher answered my 14-year-old son’s phone. I understand that he may have witnessed something that happened.

“The staff asked me to come get him. I heard it all came out of nowhere. They grabbed this student, pinned him to the ground and stabbed him several times.”

Another father, whose daughter attends the school, said something “needs to be done” about the rise in crime in the area, adding: “My daughter had just started there and was on the bus home. A boy with a black hat and a snood jumped on student, stabbed him and ran away.

“She saw the beating, but she didn’t see the knife or the blood. The bus had just stopped when it happened so it blocked some of the incident – seems to be fine but I think it’s still being dealt with. It’s only her third week at this new school.”

The schoolboy has not yet been named, but police said they had identified “numerous witnesses” to the attack, who were called to the scene at 2.54pm.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes said: “Our investigation is still at a very early stage and we will be carrying out extensive inquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident which has resulted in the completely senseless loss of a young life.

“We recognize that an incident of this nature will cause understandable shock and concern in the community and we are working closely with our colleagues in Kirklees Borough who are increasing their presence in the area to reassure people and keep them informed as our investigation progresses. “

More to come…