Gang in 'balaclavas with weapons' force primary school into lockdown

A gangof men wearing "balaclavas" and wielding "weapons" have forced the lockdown of a UK school.

The gangentered Shireland Hall Primary Academy in Smethwick in the West Midlands yesterday afternoon before threatening "children and teachers".

A parent told BirminghamLive: “Some of the kids saw the group of men wearing balaclavas and with baseball bats in the hands and potentially other weapons.

“The kids have been traumatised and some of the parents have refused to send their kids to school today, Wednesday, October 8, as the gang were heard saying ‘they will come back tomorrow’.”

Children were said to have been told to ‘hide under their desks’ .

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An alert sent out by the school at 8.30pm said: “We are writing to inform you that Shireland Hall Primary Academy enacted our lockdown procedure at the end of the day today.

“The lockdown was initiated as a precautionary measure in response to reports of adults on the school site wearing balaclavas and some potential weapons.

“We contacted the police who attended, advised us on the appropriate course of action and are investigating further.

“We want to assure you that:

• At no point was any child or staff member in direct harm;
• The safety and wellbeing of children is always our highest priority
• We are incredibly proud of how responsibly our children and staff responded to the alert. Their actions demonstrated that our regular safety drills are effective.”

The school's email continued: “We understand receiving information about a lockdown can be alarming. Please talk to your child tonight and reassure them they are safe.

“If your child expresses any significant anxiety or if you have any concerns about your child’s reaction, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher tomorrow. Our staff are ready to provide any necessary support.

“Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with our safety procedures.”

A spokesman for Elliot Foundation Academies Trust, which is responsible for Shireland Hall Primary Academy, said: “At approximately 3pm on October 7, Shireland Hall Primary was put into lockdown following parents noticing a group acting suspiciously on the school grounds.

“The emergency services were called and responded promptly. All children are safe and no children or staff were injured. As police enquiries are ongoing it would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment at this time. We encourage any witnesses of the incident to contact them via 111 citing the incident reference 3302.”

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “We were called to Montague Road, Smethwick on Tuesday afternoon after reports of a group acting suspiciously in the street.

“Officers attended and there was no group in the area at the time. Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with more information can contact us via 101 quoting log 3302 of October 7.”