A 15-year-old boy has been arrested by armed police after he took a SHOTGUN and ammunition into a secondary school.
Police swooped on High Lane School in Nuneaton, Warks., after receiving a call from the teenager at 9.15am.
The pupil was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm.
Superintendent David Gardner, of Warwickshire Police, said yesterday : “We responded promptly and the boy was quickly isolated and the incident contained to ensure there was no risk to pupils and staff.
“We have seized a shotgun and ammunition.
“The initial report was received from the suspect himself and he was cooperative with police throughout.
“Officers were on the scene quickly and he was placed under arrest.
“I would like to thank staff and pupils at the school for their assistance while we managed this incident.
“Officers will be at the school for the rest of the day to provide reassurance.
“We will now carry out enquiries to establish exactly what happened and address any issues around the firearm.”
The school, which caters for 1,200 pupils aged 11-18, remained open and parents were sent texts informing them about the incident.
The message read: “Some parents/carers may have been made aware of police officers being on the school site this morning.
“Although there was an incident, this message is to reassure you that all students and staff are safe and the matter has been dealt with.
“The Police have confirmed that they are happy for the School to remain open.
“The school will not be putting out any further information at this point.”
The school was praised last year after Ofsted ranked the school as being among the best in the country.
Higham Lane ranked first out of 55 schools with a very similar intake of students across the whole of England.
It was rated among the top eight per cent of all secondary educational bases in England, the best in North Warwickshire and joint highest performing state funded school in the whole of Warwickshire.
In total, 82 per cent of Year 11 students achieved five or more A* to C grades, including English and Maths.
A total 93 per cent of students attained grades A* to C in English, with 85 per cent obtaining A* to C in maths.
Of the year group, 28 per cent secured five or more grades at A*-A.
The 15-year-old boy who took a shotgun and ammunition into school was bullied for being overweight, fellow pupils claimed yesterday (Tue).
Dozens of people also took to social media suggesting the gun belonged to his dad.
Higham Lane Secondary School, according to Twitter users, was playing host to around 30 head teachers because of its outstanding achievements when the alarm was raised.
One Twitter user wrote: “On a serious note I remember the kid that’s done this from when I went to Higham & I remember him getting bullied and picked on constantly.”
Another user wrote: “Which teacher could p*ss a 15 year old lad off that much to make him steal his dads shot gun???”
A different user said: “Not even funny but downright hilarious that Higham had 30 head teachers visiting today to view what an outstanding school they are.”
One boy who was collected by his father at the school gates yesterday, said: “I know who he (the boy) is. He’s been picked on before because of his weight.
“I only heard about what happened when a teacher told us to stay in the classroom. He had the gun in his bag. It’s pretty scary to think what might have happened.”
One parent revealed her daughter texted her to say she was sitting next to a boy with a gun in his school bag.
She said: “I only found out when my daughter text me to say she was sat next to a boy who had a gun in his bag.
“I then got a text which seemed like nothing much to worry about, I am really fuming.
“I would have liked the school to be honest and say what had happened.
“At first I thought it was a terrorist incident because of everything that’s been happening recently so I think they needed to tell us in a more honest way.”
Another mum said: “There were a lot of scared parents, miles away at work, who were simply being told there was a police incident.
“The school refused to take calls or tell us anything and then we are hearing that a boy walked into the building with a gun and ammo.
“It was awful. All I heard was a kid turned up with a gun, nothing else and nobody would tell us anything.
“They should have known police would mention a gun and make sure their information was more comprehensive.”
Mum Louise Johnson said yesterday : “I am in shock, I think that’s probably the only way to describe it.
“I am absolutely dumbfounded, I cannot believe how it got into the school.
“It was only a few weeks ago I was talking to my kids about terrorist incidents and explaining.
“I know that my son was going to see these police officers and think ‘I am going to die’.
“I cannot get to my son and tell him that it’s okay, I just want to give my son a hug.”
Highlam Lane School headteacher Phil Kelly said in a statement: “Dear Parents/Carers.
“Further to the earlier message issued by Higham Lane School, we can confirm that an incident took place this morning at the School in which a Higham Lane School pupil was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm.
“Staff and Police responded promptly, the pupil was quickly isolated and the incident contained to ensure there was no risk to pupils or staff.
“The pupil has been removed from the school site by the police and the police have confirmed that they are happy for the school to remain open as normal.
“We reiterate that the incident was responded to very promptly by staff, who worked effectively with the police.
“The school will not be commenting upon this matter any further at this stage.”
