Police called to deal with knife incident at Highlands primary school
Police have been called to deal with a young pupil at a Highlands primary school ‘waving’ about a knife in the playground.
No-one was injured in the incident which occurred around lunchtime earlier today at the school in Aviemore.
Pupils were ordered into the school building by staff but it is unclear at this stage if the building was locked down.
Staff have provided safety assurances to parents following the shock incident at the strath's largest primary school.
Chenelle McMaster, acting headteacher at Aviemore Primary School, said in correspondence: “As you may already be aware, there was an incident today in school involving a child who had a knife and that the police had to be called.
“I wanted to reassure you that all necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of all pupils and staff in the school and that no-one was injured as a result of this and it was contained appropriately.
“Staff have spoken to all pupils this afternoon to make sure that they were all okay and to reassure them that although there had been an incident, staff dealt with it quickly and that the police were called to make sure that everyone was safe.
“We are following the Highland Council guidance and actions have been taken as a result of this.
“Please be assured that we will continue to support any staff or pupils who are worried or anxious as a result of this incident today.”
Andy Norrie, who has a child at the school, has praised staff for their handling of the situation.
He said: “I understand a child was running around waving a knife in the playground and the implication is that this was in a potentially threatening manner.
“All the children were ordered inside and my information is this pupil was isolated outside.”
Mr Norrie attended an open day at the school after the incident.
He said there were no outward signs of any pupils being traumatised by the incident.
“The kids were calm and happy,” Mr Norrie said. “The staff reacted quickly and have done an awesome job in not letting this escalate into major stress for the kids.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police received a report of a child in possession of a knife at a school in the Aviemore area at around 12.40pm today.
“The item was recovered and there was no risk to the wider public.
“Officers are working with partners to address the matter.”
A Highland Council spokesman said: “Highland schools work closely with the police in ensuring pupils know we have zero tolerance when it comes to weapons in schools.
“Whatever the situation, weapons will be confiscated and appropriate actions taken - including discussion with pupil and parents concerned.
“Our staff proactively reinforce safety messages to all pupils and parents, and they are asked to report any concerns they may have.
“This proactive approach helps to ensure that incidents are dealt with quickly for everyone’s safety.”
