The Westminster School Dubai TWS

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Westminster School Dubai - information from Dubai FAQs. Full name is The Westminster School.

Any comments from students, parents, or teachers about studying or teaching at TWS? Add them here ...

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A student at the Westminster School was slashed by another student while on the school bus on 11 October 2006, according to a report in the Gulf News 12 October 2006. Unusual to hear of something like that happening in the UAE. The injured student was reported to have been taken to Rashid Hospital with back and chest injuries, but wasn't seriously hurt according to the boss of Westminster School. It's always good to know if your school principal is also a doctor.

Westminster School Principal David Morrison said: "A senior school student was slashed. The other student ran off the bus after the incident but I believe both are now with their parents. "He was taken to Rashid Hospital and treated for superficial injuries. Nobody was seriously hurt," he said. "I have about 4,800 students, this incident is unprecedented."

7 Days also had the story, with a few more details and comments from the school, but none from the families who didn't want to talk apparently. The principal told 7 Days a 14 year old boy from grade 9 got on the bus that morning ...

The 14-year old South African attacked his classmate, who is a UAE national. “There was some conflict between the boys,” principal David Morrison told 7DAYS. “Their families know each other and they live just a few blocks away. The attack involved a knife and the local boy got cut on the back, front and the face,” he added. The bus driver immediately called the parents and the police. An ambulance reached the spot and rushed the victim to Rashid hospital. The boy was treated for the cuts and was discharged later yesterday. “We are numbed by this incident but it is clearly a conflict that happened outside the college that led to this attack,” said Mr Morrison...

... The school claims that the South African boy is a good student and has no history of violence or disciplinary problems. The school however, has decided to take firm action against him. “Such acts of carrying knives will not be tolerated. I have arranged to meet the parents of both children. “I can say that the boy who attacked the other with the knife will not be coming to our school again,” said Morrison

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The story of the knife attack on the Westminster School student continues. 7 Days (13 October 2006) had a first hand account from the bus driver of lots of blood, and also reported that the knifer had been bullied for two years. I didn't notice this comment in the other newspaper reports today.

Speaking exclusively to 7DAYS yesterday, bus driver Zakir Hussain told how he tried to save the grade nine student, who suffered injuries to his forehead, chest and back. He said: “At first I was shocked with what I saw. There was so much blood and for a minute I was scared. There were 14 others in the bus including several grade one children. I realised that I had to take quick action and immediately called the parents of the stab victim. “They were shocked. Their son was bleeding profusely and my own hands and shirt was soaked in blood.” ...

... “I have been driving the two students all these months and not once had they fought. I thought they were good friends.” However, last night the parents of the South African boy told 7DAYS: "We would like to reiterate that our son has no history of violent behaviour and has a good academic record and excellent disciplinary record. This incident is merely a culmination of a two year incidence of bullying against our son."

Emirates Today (13 October 2006) reported that the knifer will face court - although it's not clear how they came to that conclusion. There was no direct quote from the policeman they interviewed. There was also a comment that offensive language was used regarding the mother and sister of one of the boys - but which one? Both reports also said the school principal confirmed the knifer had been permanently expelled from the school.

The South African high school student who injured a fellow student on Wednesday morning will be referred to the Public Prosecution, a top police official said yesterday. Brigadier Khamis Mattar Al Mazainah, the Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, said that the boy, 14, was questioned on the same day and later released after his father signed a document guaranteeing he would behave. The boy slashed a 13-yearold UAE national with a pocket knife as both boarded their school bus. The boys, both pupils at the Dubai-based Westminster School, fought after an argument in which one of them used offensive language to describe the other’s mother and sister, Brig Al Mazainah said.