SCHOOL BOMB THREAT MADE ON SOCIAL MEDIA A HOAX
HEADTEACHER OF SCHOOL HIT BY BOMB THREAT RESPONDS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IT SHOULD HAVE CLOSED
AN Uxbridge school has moved to reassure parents that a bomb threat made on social media was a hoax.
Oak Wood School in Hillingdon sent an email to parents after panic spread regarding rumours of a bomb threat at the school.
Mark Bland, the school’s head teacher said he spent Sunday January 20 at the school working with Metropolitan Police who told him “categorically” it was a hoax threat.
The mum of one Year 7 pupil told My London that her son had come home on Thursday and told her a boy was “going to blow up the school” on the following Monday.
She said she sent her son to school that morning, adding “I had to fight with him as he was terrified”. S
oon after dropping him off, the Oak Wood mum who asked not to be named, said she received a screenshot of a post from Facebook.
The post claims a Year 9 pupil had made the threats to the school, adding that he apparently said his “dad had taught him to bomb and it was a good thing”.
Mr Bland said that the threat had been made on social media and that “Metropolitan Police are investigating to find the person responsible”.
“We are working closely with police, who were very clear with us that it was a hoax,” he added after parents demanded to know why the school was not closed.
“I would never jeopardise the safety of the pupils. It was a hoax and is part of an ongoing investigation.
“I made the call that it was safe for the school to be open. If we had thought there was any danger to any staff or pupils we would not have made that call.”
The mum said she was disappointed in the amount of communication between the school and parents, and did not receive formal communication about the threat until an email on Tuesday January 22, despite the alleged threat having been made for the day before.
In the undated letter signed by Mr Bland, he thanked the parents for their concern, adding “we too take the safety of students and staff very seriously”.
“Please be assured that we are aware of the threat made on social media. Senior staff and I have worked with the Metropolitan Police over the weekend to resolve the matter and ensure everyone attending school is safe.
“The police have thoroughly investigated the issue and firmly believe that this was a hoax, the officers were very clear to me that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest otherwise.
“At this point we are unable to communicate further details of this investigation.”