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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Montgomery High School: Pupils absent after shooting threat | Montgomery High School: Pupils absent after shooting threat |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| More than 1,000 pupils have not turned up to a school that received online death threats. | More than 1,000 pupils have not turned up to a school that received online death threats. |
| Threats to kill pupils in a shooting on Monday at Montgomery High School in Blackpool were posted on social media. The user said they planned to "kill as many people as possible". | Threats to kill pupils in a shooting on Monday at Montgomery High School in Blackpool were posted on social media. The user said they planned to "kill as many people as possible". |
| The school confirmed 260 of its 1,375 pupils have attended. | The school confirmed 260 of its 1,375 pupils have attended. |
| Parent Anne Hindle said her 15-year-old son and daughter were "very scared" by the "pretty dark" posts. | Parent Anne Hindle said her 15-year-old son and daughter were "very scared" by the "pretty dark" posts. |
| Police officers have been patrolling outside the school for "reassurance", a Lancashire Police spokeswoman said, adding that they will remain on site for "the next few days". | |
| 'No guarantee' | 'No guarantee' |
| The planned attack was in revenge for alleged bullying, according to the Facebook post. | The planned attack was in revenge for alleged bullying, according to the Facebook post. |
| The unnamed Facebook user also praised gun killers in schools in the US and posted on the school's page: "Nobody talks to me or notices me except when they're calling me a nerd and pushing me around." | |
| Responding to one student, the user asked: "You think it's a joke? You'll see bullets, bodies, and blood." | Responding to one student, the user asked: "You think it's a joke? You'll see bullets, bodies, and blood." |
| Reaction from concerned parents | Reaction from concerned parents |
| Anne Hindle, who has a son and a daughter studying for GCSEs at Montgomery High School, decided to keep her children at home. | Anne Hindle, who has a son and a daughter studying for GCSEs at Montgomery High School, decided to keep her children at home. |
| "They are very scared, to be honest," she said. "They are both aged 15 and in their GCSE year, so it is a big decision to take. | "They are very scared, to be honest," she said. "They are both aged 15 and in their GCSE year, so it is a big decision to take. |
| "I have read the posts on Facebook and they are pretty dark. The police say there is no credible threat but we have no guarantee." | "I have read the posts on Facebook and they are pretty dark. The police say there is no credible threat but we have no guarantee." |
| David Porter is the father of a first-year pupil and decided not to send his boy to school. | David Porter is the father of a first-year pupil and decided not to send his boy to school. |
| "He's very brainy and is up at 07:30 every day but he is scared and it takes a lot to keep him off," he said. | "He's very brainy and is up at 07:30 every day but he is scared and it takes a lot to keep him off," he said. |
| "We want to be sure whoever posted this message is caught. | "We want to be sure whoever posted this message is caught. |
| "I do not know if we will send him to school on Tuesday." | "I do not know if we will send him to school on Tuesday." |
| 'Non-credible' threat | |
| School principal Tony Nicholson said: "One wonderful thing that just shows the commitment [of the staff] is that I have got 100% attendance - it is a large school [and] every single staff member was here early." | School principal Tony Nicholson said: "One wonderful thing that just shows the commitment [of the staff] is that I have got 100% attendance - it is a large school [and] every single staff member was here early." |
| He said parents should be reassured by the police assessment that the threat was "non-credible". | |
| "That's been repeated throughout the whole course of the week. The police are here in a reassuring capacity and in significant numbers." | "That's been repeated throughout the whole course of the week. The police are here in a reassuring capacity and in significant numbers." |
| Mr Nicholson also said he understood the "anxieties and concerns" of students, parents and the school's wider community. | |
| He added: "It has been correctly reported that there has been a significant reduction in student attendance. We do understand why parents have been reluctant to send sons and daughters into school. | |
| "However, we wish to reassure you that Montgomery is a safe school and we look forward to a return to our usual very high levels of student attendance." | |
| Blackpool Council has provided counselling services for any students who have "found the last few days upsetting and stressful". | Blackpool Council has provided counselling services for any students who have "found the last few days upsetting and stressful". |
| In a statement, Lancashire Police said there was "nothing to suggest these messages pose a credible threat". | In a statement, Lancashire Police said there was "nothing to suggest these messages pose a credible threat". |