Police issue update on boys, 14, arrested after incident outside Halesowen secondary school

Officers were alerted to the incident outside Leasowes High School, on Kent Road, just before 3pm on Thursday.

Two boys, both aged 14, were arrested on the nearby Hollies Drive on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. A machete was also recovered with the help of police dogs.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson has since confirmed the boys have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Pupils at Leasowes High School – which is part of the Invictus Education Trust – were placed into a 45 minute lock down as a result of the incident, but returned as normal the following day.

A spokesperson for the secondary school said it took "precautionary" measures to ensure the safety of youngsters after being notified of two people "wearing balaclavas" and "potentially carrying a weapon" near the site.

A statement read: "Just before lessons finished last Thursday, we were notified that two individuals wearing balaclavas and potentially carrying a weapon were seen near to the school.

"We contacted police, and following discussions with them, made the decision that we needed to take some precautionary measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students.

"Given that students were just getting ready to leave, we decided that the easiest thing to do would be to follow our lock down procedure.

"While we appreciate that the term 'lock down' sounds very dramatic, this is something that we practice like a fire alarm drill at the school."

The spokesperson went on to praise students and staff for "how calmly" they handled the situation.

The statement continued: "They followed the procedure perfectly, and remained calm throughout. The support they also showed one another was also heartening to see.

"We continued to speak to police throughout all of this, and concluded the lock down procedure as soon as we were notified that it was safe to do so. Students were let out around 45 minutes after the school day should have finished.

"I appreciate that the situation would have been concerning for parents standing at the school gate, and also that there might have been some knock on consequences from the students coming out later than usual.

"Please be assured that we simply wanted to do everything we could to protect our young people – and we were working tirelessly in the building to provide any support that was needed. The school opened as normal the following day."

Residents living near to the school spoke of feeling "shocked" about what had happened just a stone throw away from their homes, as one woman said knife crime "terrified" her.