A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of Bailey Gwynne, 16, who was fatally stabbed at Aberdeen secondary school Cults Academy earlier this week.
Gwynne, described as a "gentle and caring" boy, suffered serious injuries in the attack at the school in west Aberdeen at around 1.30pm on Wednesday.
Bailey Gwynne died after a 'serious incident' at Cults Academy
He died a short time later at the city's Royal Infirmary, sparking a murder investigation by police.
The accused teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Aberdeen Sheriff Court and made no plea or declaration. He was remanded in custody and is expected to appear again on 6 November.
Writing on her public blog to staff, Aberdeen City Council chief executive Angela Scott said: "I know that there were individual acts of heroism at the school yesterday and I fully appreciate that there were sights and experiences for many that you simply do not expect to have to face."
She paid tribute to head teacher Anna Muirhead and her team at the school, saying they are putting measures in place to make sure pupils, parents and staff are given the support they need following the "heart-breaking" incident.
Scott also wrote: "The anguish being suffered by parents, family and friends is unimaginable and I am certain I speak for us all in expressing the deepest sympathy to them."
Gwynne's headteacher Anna Muirhead said: "Pupils and staff are in a state of total shock. The boy involved was a very gentle, caring pupil, with a lot of friends.
"I think it's fair to say the whole school community is totally devastated. At the moment of course our thoughts are all with the boy's close family and his friends and what they must be going through at this tragic time."
A wall of flowers has already appeared outside the school, with many taking to Twitter to pay their tributes to the teenager.