Full police statement over Lichfield school lockdown after ex-pupil ‘locked himself in toilet’

A 'former pupil' at a Staffordshire school caused a ‘lockdown’ panic after entering the school grounds and then locking themselves in on the site, police have said. An alert was raised at Nether Stowe School in Lichfield at around 10am on Friday (November 22).

The school had ‘safeguarding’ concerns and started its ‘lockdown procedure’. BirminghamLive understands pupils were told to go to the back of classrooms and lights were switched off.

Staffordshire Police was called to the scene. A spokeswoman for the force said: “Just before 10am today (Friday, November 22) we received a report of an intruder at Nether Stowe School on St Chad's Road, in Lichfield. The school decided to go into lockdown as a precaution before our officers arrived.

“Two officers went to the school and removed an ex-pupil, who had locked themselves in a toilet cubicle, from the site.”

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Despite rumours, the school said the incident 'did not involve any weapons or drugs'. It all said none of the students or staff were placed at any risk and it praised the way students at the school responded.

Deputy headteacher, Mr S Cooper, in a letter to parents and carers said: “We just want to make you aware that today we had a safeguarding concern which has led to us having to follow our lockdown procedures. At Nether Stowe School, the safety of our students is our utmost concern.

“The situation was dealt with swiftly and has now been resolved. All students are safe and have been reassured that they can see any member of staff if they have any worries.

“This was a safeguarding situation involving one former student, so we hope you appreciate it would be inappropriate for us to share specific details. What we can say is that the lockdown lasted for around 30 minutes and that no students or staff were at risk at any point.”

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He added: “We would also like to confirm that there were no weapons or drugs involved as we are aware there has been some speculation. We are really pleased that the students handled themselves with maturity and are a credit to the school.

“If you have any further questions, please do get in touch through the school office. Thank you for your patience, support and understanding.”