Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Wales' First Minister Vaughan Gething were both "shocked" at reports of a stabbing at a secondary school in south-west Wales.

Police have said three people are injured and are receiving treatment after an incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford.

Local Senedd member Adam Price, who is a former pupil at the school, said it was “extremely shocking and saddening to hear of this awful incident”.

“It is a very close-knit community and not something any of us would have imagine would have happed in our community,” said the MS for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.

He praised school staff and emergency services for their responses, adding that his thoughts “are very much with those who have been injured and their families”.

Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said the incident as "extremely concerning".

“Schools should be a place of safety, learning and discovery," he said.

"It is deeply sad and distressing that today teachers and pupils have had that safety shattered by a violent incident."

A terrifying scenario, but all schools have lockdown planspublished at 16:17 British Summer Time 24 April

16:17 BST 24 April

Branwen Jeffreys
Education Editor

No school wants to imagine an outbreak of violence, but all have lockdown plans.

The emergency planning advice from Carmarthenshire County Council suggests all external doors should be locked, pupils and staff should remain in or retreat to classrooms which can be locked or barricaded. Blinds and curtains should be drawn, and mobiles put on silent.

It is a terrifying scenario for parents, but these plans are aimed at keeping pupils and teachers safe. A whole or partial school lockdown buys time for emergency services to intervene.

In the UK, violence on school premises is so rare the incidents linger in public consciousness - the stabbing of headteacher Philip Lawrence at his school gates in London in 1995 and the mass shooting in Dunblane the following year.

More recently, a man carrying a knife was intercepted at a school in Slough by the headteacher who kept him talking. No one was hurt on that occasion.

Parents are expressing their relief and joy to be reunited with their children after many stood for hours at the gates of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, unsure when they would see them.

Emma from Ammanford was among those facing an anxious wait to see her daughter, 16, who has now been let out of lockdown.

She says she’s "relieved" to be reunited with her daughter, but had been in touch with her by phone throughout the day.

“It’s very unusual for this area,” she adds.

A school governor told Wales Online that two staff members had been injured after reports of a stabbing the a Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in south-west Wales.

Responding to those reports, Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers union, has described today's incident as "extremely distressing".

"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary, and it will be of the utmost concern for every teacher whenever that sense of safety and security has been broken," he says.

“No teacher should have to fear being assaulted at work, and everything that can be done must be done to ensure the safety of staff and pupils."

Dyfed-Powys Police has said it will give an update this afternoon on today's incident.

The force will not be holding a press conference, but Supt Ross Evans will be at the school to read a statement at 17:30 BST.

Relatives of pupils at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, who have been gathered outside the school, have been reacting to news of this morning’s incident.

The BBC has been speaking with Luke Poole, who has relatives in the school.

Megan Keyte, 18, head girl at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, says the incident was “quite out of the blue”.

“I haven’t got any lessons today so I was having a work-from-home day, trying to finish deadlines before exams. One of my friends was inside just trying to do her psychology lesson and they were told ‘code red, you’re in lockdown’.”

Megan says this has never happened before and they’ve never heard the words "code red".

“We’ve never really needed it. Obviously there are precautions in place if there was something to happen.”

She says there are lots of rumours going round, “but it’s just children being children”.

“You never expect something like this to happen in our school or this area. But it shows how the community comes together so quickly,” she says.

Children are now being let out of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman after the school had been placed into lockdown.

Police and ambulance services remain at the scene as pupils file out of the building.

The school has provided an update, saying the incident has now been "contained".

Ysgol Dyffryn Aman , externalsays family members of the three people injured in the incident have been informed.

"We would like to reassure parents and the public that the incident has been contained," it wrote in a statement on the school website.

As parents continue to wait for news on when their children will be released from the building, here's an update on what we know so far:

• One person has been arrested and three injured after an incident at a secondary school in Ammanford, in south-west Wales, police have confirmed
• A school governor has told Wales Online two staff members were injured in the incident, at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, which she believed was a stabbing. She said she did not know if any children were hurt
• Parents say the school has been placed in lockdown and their children have been told it could be hours before they can go home
• Dyfed-Powys Police says it's not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, but its investigation continues. It has not confirmed whether the incident was a stabbing
• It's urging people not to share footage of the incident on social media or speculate about what happened

• Emergency services, including two air ambulances, have been in attendance at the school
• Police said the injured people are receiving treatment, but has not given an update on their condition

As we've been reporting, emergency services have been in attendance following an incident at a secondary school in Ammanford.

This map shows the location of the school within the Carmarthenshire town, which is about 20 miles (31km) from Swansea.

Tomos Morgan
BBC News in Ammanford

Pupils remain inside Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, with clusters of parents gathered outside hoping to collect their sons and daughters.

Meanwhile, coaches are lined up to transport those who cannot be collected by parents and guardians.

But when the children will be able to leave the building is as yet unknown.

Parents say the message they're getting from their children is they've been warned they could be kept there for several hours.

A teaching union has described today's incident in Ammanford as "horrifying".

Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, says: “While we don’t know the full details of what has happened, this is clearly a horrifying incident and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected at the school and in the wider community.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he’s “shocked” by the incident in Ammanford.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Sunak says: "I want to thank the police and emergency services for their ongoing response and my thoughts are with all those affected."

Home Secretary James Cleverly has also commented, saying he was being kept informed about the events in Ammanford.

He adds: "I want to thank the police and emergency service for their ongoing response. It is important they are given the space to carry out their investigations."

Image source, Getty Images

Councillor Karen Davies, a governor at the school, has told Wales Online she believes the incident was a stabbing and that two members of staff were injured.

"I have no confirmation on how serious the injuries are," she says.

Earlier, Dyfed-Powys Police said three people were injured in the incident.

Davies says she doesn't know whether any children were injured.

"I send my thoughts to those injured and all the people there. I know how well the school rehearsed lockdown and I am sure everything is under control.”

"It is shocking. You hear about these things happening in Manchester and London but it is literally our comprehensive here."

Dyfed-Powys Police has said it's "aware of footage of the incident currently circulating on social media".

The force is asking those who have posted footage to remove it "to avoid contempt of court and distressing those affected".

The force adds: "We would ask the people do not speculate while there is a police investigation ongoing."

Justin Williams, whose daughter is in year seven at the school, says his wife rang him when she heard about the incident.

"Our connections are ok but we’re now worried about the people who have been injured," he tells BBC Wales.

“It’s not something you hear of in Ammanford - for a close community, it’s very rare that you hear of something like this in the area.”

Meleri Grug Williams

Three people have been injured in an incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, south-west Wales.

Dyfed-Powys Police say they are receiving medical treatment, while one person has been arrested.

No one else is being looked at in connection with the incident, but police say their investigation is ongoing.

Here's a recap of what we know so far:

• One person has been arrested and three injured after an incident at a secondary school in the Amman Valley, in south-west Wales, police have confirmed
• Dyfed-Powys Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, but its investigation continues
• There have been reports that a stabbing has taken place at the school, though the police force has not commented on this. It said the injured people were receiving treatment
• Emergency services, including two air ambulances, have been in attendance at the school, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman

• Parents say the school has been placed in lockdown

First Minister Vaughan Gething says he's "shocked to hear news of serious incident" in Ammanford.

"A deeply worrying time for the school, families and community. Diolch [thank you] to first responders," he says.

Image source, Getty Images