Bomb threat e-mailed to Cambourne primary school

A BOMB threat was e-mailed to a Cambourne primary school this morning, prompting the head teacher to close the school.

Staff at The Vine Inter-Church Primary School discovered the e-mail when they arrived at the school shortly before 8am today (Tuesday). The school’s head teacher Debbie Higham immediately alerted police, who advised her to evacuate staff. No children were in the school at the time.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council, the local education authority, said parents and children arriving for the school day were directed to the school fields and kept well away from the buildings while police carried out a thorough search of the school’s premises. Nothing suspicious was found and the school was reopened at 9.30am.

The anonymous e-mail was sent at 3.30am and is believed to be linked to a series of similar e-mails that have been sent to schools across the country. The e-mail claimed that “incendiary devices” had been placed in the school buildings.

The school has 400 pupils enrolled and employs 70 staff.

Mrs Higham said: “As soon as school staff became aware of the e-mailed message early today arrangements were put in place to clear the school buildings while advice was sought from Cambridgeshire police and county council schools support officers. On the advice of the police a search of the building was carried out which found nothing of a suspicious nature and the school reopened at 9.30 am. I would like to thank all staff, students, parents and carers for the calm and considered way they behaved during this incident. We are now back to business as usual.”

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said: “We were called at 8.26am to reports of a security alert at a school in The Vines, Upper Cambourne. Staff evacuated the school while a search was carried out.

“This matter has been referred to the Metropolitan Police Service, who are investigating a suspected linked series of malicious communications.”