Teacher stabbed to death in front of young pupils in France

The 34-year-old primary schoolteacher is killed as children arrive for the start of the school day

A French primary schoolteacher has been stabbed to death in front of her pupils on the last day of term by one of their mothers in an attack described by President François Hollande as an "abominable drama".

"This morning, a mother turned up with a knife and stabbed a 34-year-old teacher in front of her students, for reasons that will be determined by the investigation," said Claude Derens, the prosecutor in Albi, the southwestern town where the attack took place.

He said the woman who allegedly carried out the attack was arrested immediately after the deadly assault.

"When I arrived at the school, they were trying to resuscitate the teacher. Her heart had stopped in the classroom," he said, adding that he would hold a press conference later Friday to provide more details on the attack.

The assault took place as children were arriving for the start of the school day – the last before the start of the summer holidays – at the Edouard Herriot primary school which is attended by 284 students aged from three to 11.

The teacher killed was in charge of a class of 8-9-year-old children.

Police have provided no information on why the mother had carried out the attack.

President Hollande said in a statement that he had learned of the attack "with dismay" and had ordered Education Minister Benoit Hamon to immediately travel to the school.

"All the services of the state have been mobilised to take care of the children and the staff who witnessed this abominable drama," he said.

A spokesman for Hamon said he was on his way to the school to show his support, saying the education minister "is deeply shocked by this crime, which plunges the end of the school year into mourning."

"This tragedy confirms there is a need to fight against violence in and around schools, to protect schools, teachers and students."

The incident comes amid concerns in France over assaults by parents on teachers, with a study released in April saying nearly half of primary school principals had been verbally or physically abused by parents.

telegraph