Education Minister Paula Cox is considering boosting school safety after a CedarBridge security guard was stabbed by an intruder yesterday.

Karim Wales, 31, was knifed in the neck, chin and back by an expelled pupil wielding a five-inch blade as he entered the building just before the school day had started.

A 17-year-old suspect is in custody after he was caught running from the scene by two maintenance workers, who held him until Police arrived at Prospect Primary field.

Special assemblies, including one addressed by Ms Cox, were held yesterday for prayers and to tell students about the incident. Counsellors and school psychologists were sent in to help students and teachers traumatised by the event.

CedarBridge Principal, Kalmar Richards, said she did not know how many children had witnessed the bloody attack. She said the reasons the expelled pupil had turned up were being investigated.

At a press conference yesterday, Ms Cox and Ms Richards praised Mr. Wales for putting his life on the line to keep students safe.

An emotional Ms Cox admitted she had burst into tears when visiting Mr. Wales in hospital just before he went into surgery.

She said: "It's totally unacceptable to look at someone who has had his throat punctured by someone else.

"He was still shaking and traumatised by this experience. He was sitting up but couldn't talk. He heard me say we will do what it takes to empower and protect you."

She said children had shown tremendous resilience but there was a loss of innocence after the attack.

She said: "One said to me `What did he do wrong? He gave me money when I needed it and was always looking after us'."

"To me closing the school down is to acknowledge failure, we need to show courage and strength.

"Just as Mr. Wales put his life on the line we have the responsibility to show we are open for business."

One shocked pupil told The Royal Gazette the security guard was well liked around the school and had been working there since it opened in 1997.

She said: "He's such a nice person. I think it's stupid, it will cause the school to suffer more denigration. But the school doesn't get a lot of problems."

Ms Cox said new laws giving school security guards the power to arrest intruders might be a possibility, similar to legislation in Europe.

She said increased powers would be balanced with improved screening of recruits to make sure they had the necessary training and education.

"You are not talking about having Rambo in the schools."

Ms Cox stressed she had yet to consult colleagues but she has already spoken to Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith on the issue.

Ms Cox denied CedarBridge was a violent school. She said: "What you have is small percentage of students who are disruptive."

The attack had blighted the "cataclysmic success" the school had gained with their win in the schools quiz competition at the weekend said Ms Cox.

The mature way students had dealt with the incident was praised by Ms Richards.

She said: "It says a tremendous amount about everyone in this school that when the bell went at 8.35 a.m. all the students were in their classes and ready to start lessons."

She praised Mr. Wales as a dedicated and helpful worker. Police said he was in a stable condition after the attack.