UPDATE: Devizes School threat was hoax and offender ‘dealt with’, police say
Police swarmed two schools in Wiltshire after ‘serious threats’ were received – sparking a full evacuation of pupils and staff.
Officers attended incidents at both Devizes School in Devizes and Nova Hreod Academy in Swindon early this morning (Tuesday).
Emails were sent to parents, informing them of an evacuation having taken place as a precaution – but included no further details were provided.
Melksham Oak Community School also emailed parents a similar message. More than 30 minutes later a follow-up email confirmed it was sent in error.
In an update, a spokesperson for Devizes School said: “Devizes School made the decision to evacuate the school this morning after receiving a threatening call.
“We immediately sought advice from the police in line with our Incident Response Plan and police conducted a thorough search of the school site as well as a risk assessment.
“We were advised that there is no evidence of a credible threat. Students are now continuing their day as normal.
“We will always follow the advice of police and emergency services and the safety of our students and staff will always be our top priority.
“We are grateful to the officers for their support and we want to thank our whole school community – students, their parents, and staff – for their continued support and understanding too.”
While the Principal James Harding Mbogo, of Nova Hreod Academy took a different approach – telling parents about the incident after it had concluded.
He wrote: “I am writing to inform you that we had to evacuate the school building this morning following a safety concern.
“Whilst the reasons behind the evacuation proved to be spurious, everyone in the school followed the evacuation procedure in full and behaved impeccably throughout.
“The issue has now been resolved following guidance from the Police and we are able to continue with a full day at the Academy.”
