Staffordshire school put into lockdown after 'ex-pupil' refuses to leave grounds

Chase Terrace Academy in Bridge Cross Road, Burntwood, was placed into lockdown at around 12pm on Tuesday after an ex-pupil entered the site and refused to leave.

The lockdown action was implemented after the former pupil refused to leave the ground, with the school officials quickly alerting Staffordshire Police.

In a letter from the headteacher, Nicola Mason, at the Staffordshire school, said: "Today at around 12 noon we had an incident whereby an ex-student was on-site in our main reception and refused to leave the site. 

"As a precaution, a lockdown procedure was initiated to ensure that staff were able to keep students in classrooms and be absolutely sure that students were safe should the incident escalate. 

"At no point were any students at risk, and the situation was contained within the main reception. Police attended quickly and removed the ex-student who is no longer in the local area. 

"As a parent myself I completely understand the stress and worry that such procedures bring. 

"Please be reassured that our children are our first priority and we do everything we can to put their safety first - in this case, we proactively locked down to prevent any risk to our school community. I was present throughout the whole situation and am confident that there is no further risk."

The school head said that when the procedure was in place, they received a large amount of calls, which meant that staff were unable to answer the phones during the lockdown.

The headteacher added: "Please can I ask for your patience with this, and to only call the school if you have an emergency that you need to contact us about. There are a number of parents who have contacted us to check we are all ok, and this is appreciated.

“We cannot give notice of these situations, for obvious reasons, and if situations occur these can change quickly. Everything we did today was to prevent risk and to keep our children safe at all times. Thank you all for your understanding.” 

Staffordshire Police has been contacted for a statement.