Welsh teacher stabbed by pupil says schools being 'set up to fail' in addressing violent behaviour
The 13-year-old who was responsible had used her father's multi-tool, which she had smuggled into school
A teacher who was stabbed by a pupil in South Wales has told LBC schools are being 'set up to fail' in dealing with violent behaviour.
Listen to this article
Liz Hopkin, Fiona Elias and a pupil were injured at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Carmarthenshire on 24 April 2024.
The 13-year-old who was responsible had used her father's multi-tool, which she had smuggled into school.
Reflecting on the attack two years on, Ms Hopkin said: "It's changed everything for me and my family. It's not something you can get over or move on from. I'm a different person to what I was."
"It's had a massive impact on me, my family, my friends. I'm a lot more on edge and more worried."
Read More: I’m a child psychologist: Britain’s school absence crisis is being dangerously misunderstood
Read More: Four men arrested after man, 24, fatally stabbed in east London
Last year, the teenager behind the attack, who cannot be named, was found guilty of attempted murder following a second trial, and was sentenced to 15 years in detention.
Figures show violent incidents in schools in Wales have almost doubled in the past three years.
Liz believes it is being partly fuelled by content children are viewing on social media.
She said: "Children are seeing violence played out in front of them on screens, but for them, it's real, and there's a fear they need to have protection."
The Welsh Government say ensuring learners and staff feel safe in the school environment is "of the utmost importance".
It hosted a National Behaviour Summit in May 2025.
Earlier this year, the education secretary Lynne Neagle announced more resources for schools, based on guidance issued by Cardiff Council, which included giving schools handheld scanners to search pupils for weapons.
Liz Hopkin has criticised the idea, warning teachers should not become security guards.
She says more preventative measures are needed to address the root causes of extreme behaviour.
"They [politicians] can't say they're funding schools enough if there's a deficit of that much [£72m] so how do schools afford to manage all of these needs because needs are getting more complex, and teachers in classrooms are having to deal with all that."
"They haven't got the training, they haven't got the staff. It's becoming much more difficult to manage with the set-up we have".