Dear parents and carers 

Since my statement regarding an incident that took place in school yesterday, I have been made aware that the Derbyshire Times have published an article which provides rather more detail than we expected, thanks to a statement provided by Derbyshire Police.   

Yesterday I wrote to you regarding the incident.  That statement was intended to reassure you, protect the pupil concerned, and avoid unnecessary alarm.  The statement contained what was felt to be an appropriate level of detail, following discussions with colleagues at Derbyshire Police and Derbyshire County Council.  

We can confirm that the majority of what has since been reported is accurate: 

• A pupil at Parkside brought, what was thought, by the child to be a replica WW2 hand grenade into school, to show their History teacher   
• The same child had previously brought in other artefacts connected to learning, such as old coins 
• All actions that followed prioritised safety, and the matter was dealt with swiftly and effectively.  

The inaccuracy in the Derbyshire Times report is the statement that it was a decommissioned grenade.  The specialist who conducted the assessment was able to confirm that it was not active, meaning that it was either decommissioned or a replica. 

I apologise to parents and carers and any pupils who read the statement from the school yesterday, only to then read alarming detail online or hear about it elsewhere.  This was clearly far from what was intended, entirely regrettable.  I will be discussing this matter with agencies involved. 

As is standard procedure, the school is undertaking a review of events yesterday to inform future planning. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this incident, please contact me at school. 

Best wishes 

Ben Riggott