School put into lockdown after ‘gunman’ spotted with ‘sobbing’ children seen scaling fences and parents rushing to the scene

A school where distraught children allegedly climbed the fence to escape was quarantined following reports that an armed attacker had arrived at the scene.

Parents of pupils at a secondary school in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, have described being upset when they were kept inside and unable to call their families.

Armed officers from Sussex Police raided the seaside town today following reports that a gunman had been seen.

Schools were quarantined for almost two hours and police cars and dogs search the area.

The man has not been detained yet.

The main school affected was Regis School, a secondary academy for 11-18 year olds with close to 1,600 pupils, located adjacent to the Arena Sports Centre.

While parents rushed to Regis School upon the advice to pick up their children, students from nearby schools were also stranded in the sports center.

Sara Whitworth, who has two children at the school, said: ‘The whole school has recently gone into full lockdown.

‘I went down to pick up my kids and they are hysterical. I’ve never witnessed anything like this.

‘There are children stuck in the entertainment center next door for two or three hours.

‘There are children climbing over fences to get out.

‘Children try to call their parents and get scolded for using their phones. It was so poorly managed.

‘There are dogs and probably five police cars in the car park. This is just a massacre.

‘Parents are now coming to pick up their children. My daughter was hysterical and crying.’

Sean Whitworth, grandfather of children at the school, said: ‘The police aren’t saying anything to anyone.

‘My daughter went downstairs to pick up the kids from school.’

Regis School receptionist Lucy Mackay said: ‘Police informed us of an incident in the local community and we have therefore placed the school in partial lockdown.

‘That incident is over and we are no longer in isolation.

‘A lot of parents are here to pick up their children and we’ve given them that option.

‘A lot of kids are excited about what’s going on. ‘They were locked down between 11:30am and 1:15pm.’

A spokesman for Regis School said: ‘Earlier today police notified us of a live incident in the local community and asked us to put our standard procedures in place for such times.

‘To the relief of parents, we have confirmed that the incident was not school related and we were able to continue a normal school day.

‘As you would hope and expect, students have been excellent throughout this time and I would like to thank staff for their leadership and support.

‘The welfare of our students is our top priority and we will always follow the advice of emergency services when requested.’

A Sussex Police spokesman said: ‘At around 11.10am today police received reports of a man seen with a suspected firearm on Firth Road, Bognor.

‘Due to the proximity of nearby schools, police advised them to follow temporary lockdown procedures while the area was searched.

‘All schools have since reopened.

‘The wider search operation, involving armed officers, continues and there remains a visible police presence in the area.

‘Anyone with information or images that may assist the investigation is asked to contact police online or by calling 101, quoting reference 450 of 22/10. ‘Always call 999 in an emergency.’