Person injured, police say as incident forces lockdown of Doncaster school

Officers were called to Hall Cross Academy in Thorne Road this morning after reports of an incident involving a member of the public and a number of sixth formers.

South Yorkshire Police have now confirmed that a person was injured in the incident, but haven’t clarified whether or not it was a pupil.

Issuing an update, a spokesman said: “Police were called at around 11.20am today following reports of an altercation near to Hall Cross Academy on Thorne Road.

“One person is believed to have suffered a minor injury.

"Officers are on the scene.”

Principal Simon Swain ordered classes into lockdown as a precaution and said that reports from pupils to the Free Press about a man with a knife were false.

He said: “A member of the public was abusive and threatening towards several sixth form students at the school gates.

"We weren't sure if the man had followed the pupils into the grounds so I ordered a lockdown as a precaution.”

A message sent to parents read: “Please be aware that we have had a lock down alarm today at the upper school site.

"There was a minor incident at the front gate that the police attended.

"This took place off school grounds and the lockdown was just a precaution.”

A number of pupils and parents who contacted the Free Press in the wake of the incident have maintained that a weapon was used during the altercation and there unconfirmed reports of a video circulating onine which is understood to have captured the incident on camera.

The school, one of Doncaster’s biggest and which dates from 1350, has two sites, its original upper school block on Thorne Road and the lower school facility which is located in Bessacarr near to The Dome leisure centre.

Hall Cross boasts a number of famous former pupils among its alumni including Doncaster One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, Netflix Queer Eye star Tan France as well as former high ranking trade unionist leader Rodney Bickerstaffe.