Powys County Council has responded after a school was forced to go into lockdown when an ex-pupil scaled a fence and made threats while also carrying a blade.
Pupils and staff were kept inside Newtown High School on Friday afternoon (March 3) while police arrested the individual on suspicion of possessing a bladed article within the school grounds.
Headteacher Rob Edwards and chair of governors Jo Banks said the incident was handled “swiftly” and the young person was detained “within minutes”.
Reassuring parents and carers about safety at Newtown High School following two other lockdown incidents since 2020, a spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “Ensuring that pupils and staff are safe while they are at school is a priority for all our school leaders across the county.
READ MORE: Youth arrested for possessing blade after Newtown school goes into lockdown
“Although these types of incidents are rare, each school will have a contingency plan that they would follow if there was an incident at their school to ensure that pupils and staff are kept safe.”
In September 2020, schools in the Newtown area went into lockdown after two brothers sent a crudely made image featuring a gun. Then in June 2021, a pupil at Newtown High School received a “threatening” social media which also resulted in a “short and full” lockdown.
In a letter to parents, the school said: “Just before the close of the school day today [Friday, March 3] at Newtown campus of Newtown High School, there was an incident which resulted in students being temporarily being retained in their classes.
“It was reported that an ex-student had climbed over perimeter fencing and made threats and produced a bladed article.
“The matter was handled swiftly and within minutes the young person had been challenged and detained by police in the vicinity of the school.
“Once the school was satisfied that the matter was in hand with the police, pupils were allowed to leave school as normal, a minute or two after the bell sounded.
“Establishing the safety of pupils will always be the primary concern of the school.
“The matter is now in the hands of Dyfed-Powys Police and the school is providing full co-operation”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here