St Hild's Church of England School lockdown updates: Suspect bailed as school boss thanks Hartlepool community

St Hild’s Church of England School, in King Oswy Drive, Hartlepool, “acted swiftly” earlier this week “in response to a potential safety concern brought to our attention”.

Cleveland Police say threats were allegedly made to two boys at the school by another youth.

The premises were closed for around 90 minutes with staff and pupils remaining inside.

Scores of anxious relatives and carers lined King Oswy Drive alongside police officers before the school reopened and children were allowed to leave.

Police later confirmed that a 16-year-old boy was arrested elsewhere and taken into custody.

The school stressed during the lockdown, which took place between 3.40pm and 5.10pm on Monday, that “the incident in question is out in the community, not in the school”.

The chief executive of its controlling NEAT Academy Trust, Debi Bailey, later issued a statement saying “the safety of our school community is paramount and we will always take decisive action to uphold it”.

Her full statement, issued on Monday night, read: “This afternoon, St Hild’s implemented a temporary lockdown in response to a potential safety concern brought to our attention.

"We acted swiftly alongside Cleveland Police, following established protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of all pupils and staff.

“The safety of our school community is paramount and we will always take decisive action to uphold it.

"We are pleased to inform everyone that the situation has been resolved and the school will resume normal operations tomorrow morning.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to parents and carers for their understanding during this disruption.

"We also commend our school staff for their professional handling of the situation, our pupils for their exemplary behaviour under the circumstances, and Cleveland Police and local authorities for their swift and calm response.

"Finally, we thank our entire school community for their unwavering support.

“To ensure everyone feels comfortable returning to school, additional support will be available within the building over the next few days.”

Cleveland Police said on Tuesday: “The 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and malicious communications has been released on conditional bail whilst investigations continue.”