Police descend on King Ethelbert School in Birchington after bomb scare
16:03, 12 May 2021
updated: 16:26, 12 May 2021
Terrified pupils were sent home from school early today following a bomb scare.
Police descended on King Ethelbert School in Canterbury Road, Birchington, after a hoax call was received.
The school was evacuated while they waited for police to arrive.
Headteacher Vicky Willis said in a statement: "As you may have heard, we have had a serious incident in school today involving a hoax call about a bomb.
"The school was immediately evacuated and the police attended.
"We are working with the police and are confident that we have identified the culprit."
She continued: "The police are confident that the whole school have dealt with this in the best possible way and the whole community were kept completely safe at all times.
"I would like to commend the staff and students for the calm and sensible way that they responded to this stressful situation.
"I send my thanks to parents and carers for your patience while we dealt with situations prior to this communication. As always safety is our priority."
Police confirmed they were called at 12.33pm following reports a school in Canterbury Road, Birchington, had "received a phone call claiming there was a suspicious device in the grounds".
A spokesman said: "Officers attended and a search was carried out of the site. The incident is being treated as a hoax and enquiries are ongoing."
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