Ebbw Vale: school placed into lockdown - teenage boy arrested after pupil receives 'threatening messages'

A school in south Wales was placed into a ‘partial lockdown’ and a teenage boy has been arrested after a pupil allegedly received “threatening messages”.

The secondary campus of Ebbw Fawr Learning Community in Ebbw Vale was locked down during the incident, with parents reportedly receiving text messages in which they were told that all students were safe and were locked in their classrooms, with access points locked. They were also later told that the police assessed the building and deemed no risk. Police arrived at about 10.20am on Friday (April 26) after receiving a report of the partial lockdown. Officers have since made an arrest, although this did not take place on school premises, nor was it in the Ebbw Vale area.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "We received a call to report that Ebbw Fawr Learning Community had been placed in partial lockdown at around 10.20am after a teenage pupil had allegedly received threatening messages.

“Our officers are in attendance. We have arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of making threats. The arrest did not take place on school premises and was not in the Ebbw Vale area. Our enquiries are ongoing."

It comes only two days after a school in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire was closed down after two teachers and a pupil were allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old girl. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal purposes, has since appeared at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court charged with attempted murder and the possession of a bladed article on school premises.