The Ruth Gorse Academy: Leeds school confirms air gun brought onto premises as 'appropriate actions' taken

The Ruth Gorse Academy, in Black Bull Street, confirmed that a BB gun was taken onto the school grounds yesterday (July 11) and that staff were able to take the “appropriate actions” to deal with it.

But a concerned parent has questioned why the academy was not more open about the incident.

They said: “The school are playing it down. They haven’t informed parents or the police. They have just temporarily excluded the child for a few days. I feel that all parents of children attending this school should be made aware.”

It comes after a teacher was stabbed at a school in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, at the start of the week.

The parent added: “The incident in Tewksbury makes us more concerned about how safe our schools really are. This just brings it closer to home.

“You put trust and faith in the school to keep your children safe while they are in their care. It seems that the school is more concerned about its public image than informing parents about incidents.”

A spokesperson for the school said: “Students and staff at The Ruth Gorse Academy enjoy an exceptional climate for learning as a consequence of the high standards of safeguarding present at the academy and the positive relationships between members of staff and students.

“As a consequence of this culture, members of staff were able to act swiftly when a BB gun was brought onto academy premises. We can confirm that there no was threat to student or staff safety during this incident and that all appropriate actions have been taken by the academy.”

The school did not say whether West Yorkshire Police had been informed, but a spokesperson for the force said they could not find any reports of an incident.