Astor school: Secondary school in Kent closed after threatening email as wave of hoax threats continues

Astor Secondary School in Dover told the parents not to send their children to the school after staff received the alarming email.

In a message shared with parents, the school said it had been “advised for the site to be cleared of staff and students immediately with further updates to follow.”

It added: “We will be sending students home that have already arrived; should there be any difficulties with this we will contact you directly. Please check with your child directly that they are aware of where they need to go.”

The school’s precautionary evacuation began shortly before 8am, and Kent Police confirmed officers were sent to the scene to support staff and provide reassurance.

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “Kent Police received a report at 7.37am on Tuesday 6 May 2025 that a school in Astor Avenue, Dover, had received an email making threats. Officers attended to advise staff and provide reassurance. The email is being treated as a non-credible threat and enquiries into the correspondence are ongoing.”

In a statement, the school said the site needed “to be thoroughly checked” before reopening.

The incident comes after nine schools across Northern Ireland were forced to close or delay opening due to similar email threats in late March. Schools in Counties Antrim, Fermanagh, and Tyrone, including Strabane, Ballycastle, and Enniskillen, reported receiving threatening messages early Monday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has since confirmed those threats were also hoaxes.

On March 6, a school in Gateshead was placed on lockdown after a threatening email was received. Schools in Birmingham, Kent, and Gravesham also received menacing emails during the same period. In one case, Mere Green Primary School in Birmingham went into lockdown after receiving an email warning of firearms on the premises. West Midlands Police later declared the threat non-credible and confirmed it to be a hoax.