A WHITCHURCH school has confirmed that an incident involving a vulnerable person led to students being kept back on Thursday

Police were called to Sir John Talbot's School, part of the Marches Academy Trust, after a report of a vulnerable person near its grounds at around 2.45pm.

While police assessed the situation, the school was given the advice to delay the end of the school day, in which students were kept in their classrooms with members of staff.

A spokesman said: "The delay to the end of the school day lasted for approximately 10 minutes, after which students were then able to leave school.

"The incident was not connected to the school but because of the proximity of the vulnerable person to the school grounds, the police recommended a delay was implemented to ensure the safety of this person and students at the school."

In a message to parents, headteacher Tim Stonall, said: "You may be aware that close to the end of the school day, we were notified by the Police of a possible incident in the locality not connected to our school.

"While they assessed the situation, advice was given for the school to delay the release of students at the end of the school day.

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"This meant that students were kept safely in their classrooms with a member of staff.

"Once the Police had assessed the situation, they notified us quickly and confirmed that we could allow students and staff to leave school after approximately ten minutes.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this short delay may have caused.

"However, in the interest of keeping staff and students safe, we will always act on the advice given to us by the emergency services.

"Thank you for your understanding."

Jeremy Layton, communications officer for West Mercia Police said: "At around 2.45pm on February 2, police received a report of a vulnerable person near to Sir John Talbot’s School, Prees Road, Whitchurch.

"The person was described as being dressed in black clothing. This is being treated as an isolated incident and no identified risks have become apparent to any of the children at the school.

"Police are continuing to make enquiries to identify the person."