Lincolnshire Police say the lockdowns of Spalding schools this morning (Tuesday, January 6) were due to what they now believe to be a hoax call.
Spalding Academy sent a message to parents this morning saying the school had initiated lockdown procedures ‘shortly before 8.30am’ due to a ‘potential intruder’.
Other schools including Tulip Academy, whose Waterside campus backs on to the academy, and Spalding Grammar School also implemented lockdown procedures.
However this afternoon Lincolnshire Police say there was no intruder and that it followed a ‘malicious communication’ ‘believed to have originated from outside Lincolnshire’ which they are now investigating.
A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: “We received a report concerning a named individual, a ‘pupil’, who was allegedly carrying a knife intending to harm two other named pupils at Spalding Academy.
“Following attendance at multiple schools in the area and subsequent investigation, it has been confirmed that no weapons have been located and none of the three named individuals are known to schools in the local area. As such, the incident is being treated as a malicious communications matter.”
Lincolnshire Police initially said ‘precautionary lockdowns’ were put in place at ‘a number of schools’ which followed ‘a reported concern regarding safety’. They remained in place until shortly before 10am.
A spokesman said: “Information came into our Force Control Room at 7.57am and the decision to enact lockdown procedures was taken swiftly in accordance with established safeguarding protocols.
“At all times, the safety and wellbeing of students and staff has been the highest priority. All pupils remain safe and supervised on school premises.
“As soon as the concern was identified, fast-track investigations were initiated as a priority, and schools began working closely with the relevant authorities to assess the situation. These enquiries are ongoing, with appropriate resources deployed to ensure a thorough and timely assessment.
“School staff are continuing to support students, and established safety procedures remain in place.
“We recognise that incidents of this nature can be unsettling for families and the wider community. We would like to reassure parents, carers, and residents that precautionary lockdowns are designed to protect those on site while potential concerns are carefully and professionally assessed.”
Mrs Jemma Curson chief executive officer at South Lincolnshire Academies Trust, which runs Spalding Academy, said: “As parents may be aware, we have lockdown procedures at Spalding Academy.
“This procedure was activated today just before 8.30am due to a potential safety incident in the local area.
“The lockdown procedure was activated as a precautionary measure before the police attended the incident. We understand that this affected other schools in the Spalding area.
“The lockdown was lifted by 9.40am and the school day has resumed as normal.
“We would like to thank the students and staff for following this procedure as they were exceptional in how they conducted themselves.
“The school will be holding an assembly with students to thank them for their professional conduct.”
Tulip Academy head Mrs Tina Cox said that lockdown was put in place after police were alerted to ‘some safety concerns across all Spalding Academies’ and was ‘to keep everyone safe as pupils are brought onto site’.
“The police remain on site and will remain at both campuses for a while, to ensure the safety of all Tulip staff and pupils.
“We have been notified by the police that the initial safety risk has now stepped down and the lockdown can be lifted in school.
“We will of course remain vigilant and continue to follow the current one-point entry and bag check system.”
