Doncaster pupil found two miles from school after going missing

The youngster vanished from Mallard Primary School in Balby on Tuesday morning and was found two miles away at the interchange in Doncaster town centre.

The disappearance was reported to South Yorkshire Police at 11.40am and the child was found an hour later.

Theresa Siverns, headteacher at Mallard Primary School, said: “The school cannot comment on the details of individual cases. However we can confirm that a full investigation is being undertaken following the incident.

“We take the safety of all of our pupils very seriously and have strict policies aimed at preventing pupils from leaving the school on their own and detailing what to do if a pupil does leave the grounds.

“In this case as soon as it happened the alarm was raised and both the police and parents were informed and staff conducted a search of the surrounding area.

“Children are regularly warned of the dangers of leaving the school site. This was a most unfortunate event and I’m sorry it happened.”

South Yorkshire Police said the disappearance was reported to the force at 11.40am and a search was launched.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “Police were called at around 11.40am on Tuesday, March 21 following reports a child had left a primary school in Doncaster.

“The child was located at the interchange by staff around an hour later and taken back to school.”

The school was inspected by Ofsted in 2014, and was rated as ‘good’ in the assessment on pupils’ safety.

It started: “The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and know how to avoid unnecessary risks.

“They appreciate being able to talk to any adults if they are upset about anything.

“Incident logs are kept meticulously and all staff work hard to ensure pupils’ health, safety and wellbeing are paramount.”

The incident sparked comments on social media.

Janemartyn Laidler-lloyd said: “I see a lot of parents dump and run, not caring if the staff are out or not.

Bekki Elise said: “We send our kids to school thinking they’re safe.”