Teenager arrested as school in lockdown
ASCHOOL went into lockdown yesterday as police attended. Ebbw Fawr Learning Community in Ebbw Vale put in the procedure after a teenager allegedly received threatening messages.
Gwent Police said a teenage boy had been arrested on suspicion of making threats and that officers were on the premises at the school, which caters for children aged three to 16.
A teacher at the school said everyone had been asked to stay in their classroom but that staff and pupils were calm.
A message sent to parents said that the school is in “partial lockdown”.
Parent Maria Tudor said the school texted parents just before 10.30am to say the school was in partial lockdown. Because they did not give a reason she thought it was a safety drill rather than a real lockdown. She said she was “petrified” when her 14-year-old son texted to say he was locked in a classroom with his class.
“I thought it was a general procedure practice when the school texted but then my son texted me. He said they had not been told anything about why they were in lockdown. He is on the second floor locked in a classroom with his class, he is in a history class.
“I last spoke to him about 12pm and he said he was OK and they were just waiting for the all clear. I am petrified after what has happened this week.
“We don’t really know what happened. I am going down to the school as soon as I can to pick him up when the lockdown ends. I am extremely worried but am confident the teachers are keeping children safe.”
A teacher at the school said staff and pupils were calm during the incident.
He said: “The teaching staff are doing a fantastic job keeping the pupils calm.”
Asked how he was keeping worried pupils in his class calm while locked in the classroom the teacher said: “My calm manner is helping keep the pupils safe. My class are playing interactive educational quiz games as well as watching documentary films to keep occupied.
“I guess other teachers also have the ‘keep business as usual’ demeanour. It’s our job to make the pupils feel safe and secure and they reflect how we act.”
At just after 1.30pm, the school began releasing pupils to parents and said there would be no more lessons until Monday, when it would re-open as normal.
A teacher told the Western Mail pupils were being released in a managed way and had to remain in their classroom until they were collected by staff members and handed over to their parents.
A spokesperson for Blaenau Gwent council said: “Ebbw Fawr Learning Community’s Secondary Campus staff responded quickly and calmly to activate well-established emergency planning procedures that ensure the safety and well-being of learners and staff.
“The school and Local Authority has been working closely with Gwent Police to ensure the continued safety of everyone on the school site today and to reassure concerned parents.”
Superintendent Matthew Williams, who was in charge of the policing operation, thanked the school and parents.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, he said: “This morning, we received a report that the secondary campus at Ebbw Fawr Learning
Community had been placed in partial lockdown at around 10.20am after a teenage pupil had reportedly received threatening messages.
“Our officers swiftly attended the site and are working with the school to ensure the safety of its learners and reassure parents.
“We have arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of making threats. This arrest didn’t take place on school premises and was not made in the Ebbw Vale area.
“We carried out a search during the arrest, and no offensive weapons were found. He remains in police custody at this time as our enquiries continue.
“We understand the level of concern from parents in the area today, but I’d like to thank the public and the school for following protocol, remaining calm and relaying any concerns they had to us.
“These actions allowed us to act quickly, make an arrest, safeguard pupils and reassure the community.
“The school is now no longer in lockdown and parents and guardians are collecting their children.”
It came two days after two teachers and one pupil needed hospital treatment after being injured at a secondary school in Ammanford.
A teenage girl has appeared in court accused with three counts of attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.