An inquiry by publicly-funded bodies into the circumstances surrounding two schoolboys plotting a Columbine-style massacre looks set to conclude in the coming months, it has emerged.
Parents have welcomed an announcement by former Children’s Commissioner for England Professor Maggie Atkinson that work is continuing to examine incidents at a Northallerton school ahead of counter-terrorism police swooping to arrest pupils Thomas Wyllie and Alex Bolland three days before Halloween in 2017.
The North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (NYSCB) inquiry, the findings of which will only be published if they are considered to be in the public interest, aims to understand how and why the plot developed and the issues leading up to it.
The statement by Prof Atkinson, who is chair of the board, represents the first update to parents of pupils who claim they were issued a misleading letter by the school, which cannot be named due to a court ruling, over an alleged related serious incident weeks before their arrest.
Last May, ahead of the boys being given custodial sentences of ten and 12 years, the parents voiced anger over the handling of the alleged incident at the school and have since raised concerns that their questions have not been answered.
While it is more than a year since the teenagers were convicted of planning to murder teachers and pupils at the school Prof Atkinson said the multi-agency Lessons Learned Review was still ongoing.
Other parents have said the confidence they had in information given to them from North Yorkshire County Council-run schools has been shaken. It is understood at least one complaint about the handling of the incident was later made to the director of children’s services at the council.
While headteachers, supported by governors, are regarded as lead professionals and are therefore responsible for the business of their schools day-to-day, local authorities have statutory duties to monitor overall standards and to hold schools to account.
It is understood the number of bodies involved in the review, which range from the county council to counter-terrorism police, has extended the length of time it is taking to complete and no date has been scheduled for its completion.
Prof Atkinson said: “The review is not a statutory requirement, but was set up last year to understand fully what led to the incident.
“The review involves NYSCB partners and a number of related agencies.
“There will be a further multi-agency meeting this summer to consolidate findings prior to a report being submitted to the NYSCB executive.”
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