School reassures parents after primary pupil found with a knife

The incident happened at Highgate Primary School and involved a child who was found to have a pen-knife, sparking concerns which school principal Laura Sunley has addressed with parents.

She has sent two letters, though it is unclear whether both refer to the same incident.

One, dated February 5, is a response to a social media commentary, which Mrs Sunley said involved: “A comment made by one child to another within our school environment.”

But another, undated, letter refers to “a number” of parents who had contacted the school, saying that “a knife and other unsafe items are being brought into school”.

The letter clarifies that: “A child accidentally brought in a penknife that had been used at home with his parents for wall-papering.

“The penknife was not used to threaten or to harm anybody; it was confiscated immediately by staff and we followed up relevant safeguarding procedures with the local authority.

“Since that time, we routinely check that the pupil has not brought the penknife in again.

“He has not and there have ben no other instances of dangerous prohibited items on the school premises.

“We have taken this very seriously and we have absolutely mitigated all possibility of this happening again.”

The school has safety measures including multiple locks, CCTV and perimeter security, with pupils also taught “safe and respectful behaviours”.

A spokesperson for Astrea Trust, which operates the academy, in Nicholas Lane, Highgate, said: “Up and down the country families are concerned about the tragic events in Sheffield.

“Schools are doing what they can to provide reassurance. As made clear in the letter, a small penknife was accidentally brought into school in November and was dealt with immediately.

“As ever, our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and we work closely with our families to ensure our schools are nurturing places where children can thrive.”

Astrea did not clarify whether there had been any police involvement over the incident and it is not known whether the “comment” referenced in one letter was connected with the discovery of the knife.