'I'm going to torch school'

FIVE hundred pupils and staff were locked in a Seaford school for their own safety after a woman claimed voices in her head told her to burn it down.

Headteacher of Cradle Hill, Judith Skinner, secured the building at around midday on Wednesday last week after police received a call from the woman warning she intended to target the school.

A police spokesman said the woman sounded in a 'distressed and distraught state.

Mrs Skinner said: 'We had a phone call from the police to say they had had a phone call from a lady in Seaford who had voices in her head telling her that she should go to Cradle Hill School and hurt a child. The police said they knew the woman and were taking her threat seriously.

Staff were told to keep children inside and watch for a woman carrying a petrol can.

Mrs Skinner added: 'All doors were locked. I put staff in strategic positions and the deputy head patrolled the grounds.

The woman never found her way to the school in Lexden Road. Police gave the all-clear after they caught up with the woman at her home in Etherton Way at 1.35pm.

A police spokesman said she was arrested for breach of the peace and later released without charge.

A DRAMATIC show of fireworks was staged by Cradle Hill s Parent, Teacher and Friends Association on Saturday night.

The school, well-known for its dazzling bonfire celebrations, did not disappoint spectators this year. The spectacular aerial display was backed by a powerful score of classical music.

More than 2,500 children and adults packed the playing field for the 2,750 display, which made a total of 1,589 from ticket sales for the school. The PTFA will spend this money on equipment and resources for the pupils.