Headteacher writes to parents after child takes knife into Chesterfield primary school

A headteacher has written to parents after a child took a knife into a primary school in Chesterfield.
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The incident was reported to police on October 14.

Derbyshire Constabulary has not named the primary school and the Derbyshire Times will not be naming it either, as requested by police – but the force has released a statement about the incident to the Derbyshire Times.

Police were alerted after a child took a knife into a Chesterfield primary school. Picture for illustrative purposes only.Police were alerted after a child took a knife into a Chesterfield primary school. Picture for illustrative purposes only.
Police were alerted after a child took a knife into a Chesterfield primary school. Picture for illustrative purposes only.

A letter, signed by the school’s headteacher, said: “We are writing to you in relation to an incident that occurred on the morning of October 14.

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“We would like to reassure all parents that the matter was dealt with swiftly and decisively, with immediate (and ongoing) action taking place to safeguard all children and staff at the school.

“We will continue to work with all of the relevant external agencies to identify the next steps.

“The police have been informed.”

The letter added: “We have been made aware of factually inaccurate accounts of the incident that have circulated over the weekend.

“(The school) will continue to liaise directly with the individual children, families and relevant agencies involved.”

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Derbyshire Constabulary’s statement said: “On October 14, a parent contacted us with concerns that another child had brought a knife into their child’s primary school.

“Enquiries have been carried out by officers, and in conjunction with the school.

“A member of the staff at the school took immediate action to confiscate the knife as soon as they became aware.

“No one suffered any injuries.

“The child is under the age of criminal responsibility, which is currently 10-years-old.

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“Officers have spoken to the child, their family and the school and have referred the matter to other local agencies who can provide support.”

The Derbyshire Times contacted the force after being made aware of a Facebook post about the incident.

The post names a school.

However, a Derbyshire Constabulary spokesperson told us they would not confirm or deny the name of the school as the force does not want to risk identifying the child or children in question.

According to the Facebook post, the knife was concealed in some paper which had a child’s name on it.

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A child told friends they were going to stab another child, the post claimed.

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