The headteacher of Stevenage’s Barnwell School says it’s ‘business as usual’ after the campus was caught up in a dramatic bomb threat which affected schools across the UK this morning.
Barnwell was one of about 21 schools across the UK which received hoax phone calls saying bombs had been planted on the premises and the devices would be detonated if police were called.
Hundreds of pupils from the upper and middle schools in Shephall were evacuated onto the playing fields after the threat was received at 10.45am.
Four of the pupils were completing extra time at the end of a GCSE English Language examination.
Head Tony Fitzpatrick remained inside the school and had to make the call to the police despite the bomb threat.
He said: “The message said the bomb was going to explode and shrapnel from it would hurt the children and injure them, and if we called the police the bomb would be detonated.
“The first thing we did was to evacuate both sites and call the police.
“They said they had already heard of two other threats at schools in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire so they were pretty sure that it was a hoax.
“I was never not going to call the police but it was very unpleasant and it was designed to be that way.
“I’m very pleased our procedures for these kind of instances went to plan and our students were impeccably behaved.
“It was very disruptive but thankfully we had the main English exam earlier in the morning for about 180 pupils.”
Mt Fitzpatrick added it was ‘business as usual’ once the pupils returned to the building and the students were able to finish their exam. A psychology exam went ahead this afternoon as planned.
All parents have been contacted by text and email to let them know about what’s been happening.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here