Police describe stabbing of teacher Vincent Uzomah, 50, at Dixons Kings academy as isolated incident as boy is arrested in city centre and detained

A 14-year-old schoolboy is being held on suspicion of attempted murder after a teacher at a Bradford school was stabbed in front of pupils during an argument about a confiscated mobile phone.

Police launched a manhunt after Vincent Uzomah, a 50-year-old supply teacher, was stabbed in the stomach with a kitchen knife during a science lesson at Dixons Kings academy in the west of the city.

Uzomah, who had only been at the school a month according to pupils, was taken to hospital and was said to be in a stable condition; the single knife wound missed vital organs and did not cause any internal bleeding.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Science teacher Vincent Uzomah, 50, who was stabbed in front of children at Dixons Academy in Bradford Photograph: Enteprise News and Pictures

A boy of 14 was arrested in Bradford city centre six hours after the stabbing, which police said was an isolated incident.

A police helicopter and dozens of officers had been deployed to catch the boy, with others dispatched to the school to reassure pupils and staff and interview students who witnessed the attack. An educational psychologist was also on hand to offer support.

The free school, which opened in 2011, changed its name in January from the Kings science academy after a scandal which saw its former head and four other staff members charged with fraud. They deny the charges and have yet to stand trial.

Originally touted as one of the Conservatives’ flagship free schools, the academy was visited by the prime minister, David Cameron, in 2012. Shortly afterwards the Department for Education investigated the school after a whistleblower made allegations about its governance, and found nearly £80,000 of public money had not been used for its “intended purpose”.

After being ordered to improve by Ofsted last year, the school was taken over by the Dixons Academies chain. A recent inspection praised the progress made by the new management team.

Locals said the school already had a bad reputation before the attack, which happened shortly before 9am on Thursday. But Nick Weller, the executive principal of Dixons Academies, said there was very little they could do to prevent such an attack. “Obviously we will review everything we do,” he said. “There are some things that happen that you can’t account for, that you can’t anticipate.”

The attack ignited a debate about school safety. Ian Murch, of the National Union of Teachers’ Bradford branch, said the incident “does raise questions with people about safety and what can be done to improve safety”.

But Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, stressed that such incidences were not common. “It is important to remember that occurrences of violence such as this are extremely rare, but clearly, at the appropriate time, all of the circumstances of how this incident unfolded will need to be examined,” she said.

One year 8 pupil, who asked not to be named, said she was in the neighbouring classroom when the attack happened. Talking with the permission of her father, the girl said the boy had had an argument with the teacher over the confiscation of his mobile phone.

“I was having a science lesson and our classroom door was open,” the girl said. “I looked up and saw a boy run down the corridor, then a teacher holding his stomach. The teacher was kind of hunched over, bleeding and slumped on the floor.”

The arrested boy had been at the academy for a year after transferring from another school following behaviour problems.

DS Simon Atkinson, the officer in charge of the investigation, said students who witnessed the attack were being offered counselling. “There were a number of pupils who witnessed the incident, which took place in a classroom, and they have been liaising with our specially trained officers. This is believed to be an isolated incident and police are continuing inquiries to establish the facts,” he said.

“I would like to reassure residents and staff that all necessary resources are being deployed to investigate this ongoing and clearly very serious incident.”

Just over a year ago a teacher in nearby Leeds, Ann Maguire, was stabbed to death by a pupil then aged 15. Will Cornick stabbed the 61-year-old seven times in the back and neck at Corpus Christi Catholic college, after telling fellow pupils he hated her.

Cornick was jailed for a minimum of 20 years. The trial judge allowed him to be named despite his age.

The education secretary, Nicky Morgan, said violence of any kind in schools is “totally unacceptable”, adding that her department is “ready and prepared to offer all necessary support”.