St Peter's Academy in Fenton locked down after machete threat near school

St Peter's Academy in Fenton was placed into lockdown after reports of two individuals armed with machetes near pupils. Police were called at 3.15pm on Wednesday, 18 May.

Machete incident triggers lockdown at Fenton school

St Peter's Academy in Fenton, Staffordshire, was placed into lockdown on Wednesday afternoon, 18 May, after reports of two individuals armed with machetes threatening pupils near the school grounds, staffordshire-live.co.uk reports.

Officers from Staffordshire Police were called to the scene at 3.15pm. The school's year seven parents' evening, scheduled for that evening, was subsequently cancelled. Neither the police nor the school have formally responded to claims that a child suffered a slash wound across his upper body.

One parent told staffordshire-live.co.uk that their son had witnessed the incident directly. "Two white lads turned up with machetes against year 11 students who were Asian. One of them had an Asian lad by the throat. My son said other students had blood over their hands," the parent said. The individuals reportedly left the scene and threw the weapon over a hedge into a nearby quarry.

The same parent said they had kept their son home from school the following day out of concern over possible retaliation. "It is shocking in this day and age," they added. A second parent confirmed they had also kept their child away from school.

A third parent, however, praised the response from staff. The father said teachers moved immediately to implement emergency lockdown procedures after being alerted via security cameras. "I tried to help wherever I could to usher pupils back towards the gate to ensure they were safe," he said. "I've seen comments playing down the facts about lads waving knives and machetes around. This is no joke."

In a letter sent to parents, Principal Michael Astley confirmed the sequence of events and thanked staff and students for their conduct. "The decision was made to go into lockdown after consultation with the police regarding two members of the public," Astley wrote. "Soon after the police had arrived and assessed the situation, they advised that it was safe for staff and students to leave the academy."

The school had not responded to a request for a statement from StokeonTrentLive, a sister publication of StaffordshireLive.

Staffordshire Police are appealing for information. Anyone with knowledge of the incident is asked to call 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)