Bomb threat yob must face 'full force of the law' after scare shuts Portsmouth's Mayfield School

Mayfield School has today been sealed off after an email was sent to the North End institution claiming an explosive device had been placed at the site.

Headteacher David Jeapes last night announced the temporary closure while the Mayfield Road building is searched.

Councillor Terry Norton, who is the Conservative education spokesman in Portsmouth, is an English and drama supply teacher at Mayfield.

He said: ‘The school’s leadership should be commended for their quick response and the right decision to put the safety of pupils and staff first.

‘Although we are unsure of the full details at this stage the person responsible for this should feel the full force of the law thrust upon them.’

In a statement yesterday, Mayfield School said it was working with police over to respond to the bomb scare.

Headteacher Mr Jeapes added: ‘The safety of our pupils and staff is our number one priority and therefore we will not open until such time that the police have advised us that the threat against our school has been dealt with.’

Cllr Norton threw his full support behind Mr Jeapes for his ‘diligent’ approach.

It comes as schools up and down the country face increased pressure amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has swept the globe.

Portsmouth had its first confirmed case of the deadly disease on Saturday, which has so far claimed 35 lives in the UK.

Cllr Norton said schools were monitoring the situation and would follow government advice to close if necessary.

He added teachers already had back-up plans on how to deliver lessons for pupils if schools were closed - particularly those needed to revise for critical GCSE and A-Level exams this summer.

‘Most schools have “snow protocols” where schools are forced to close,’ Cllr Norton said. ‘But I’m confident most schools have more than adequate resources in place to cope.’

It is expected that Mayfield School will re-open on Tuesday but this will be confirmed later.