PARENTS, pupils and teachers are on high alert following an attempted child abduction close to Tudor Grange Academy earlier this week.
The ‘terrifying’ incident comes just two weeks after reports of people in cars taking photos and following students in the area around school.
On Monday (June 5) a 12-year-old boy was on his way home from school when he was approached by a couple in a grey car who tried to entice him into the vehicle.
They struck up a conversation with him and offered him a lift – to which he sensibly refused.
When he got home the youngster told his parents who called the Police and the following day the incident was reported to the school.
The couple are described at Asian with the man believed to be in his 40s and wearing a baseball cap.
It is also alleged there was a child – aged around eight or nine – in the back of the car.
One parent, who asked not to be identified, told The Observer they would be taking extra safety measures following the incident.
They added: “My boy has started to walk home from school but I have picked him up this week and maybe for the next few weeks.
“It backs up the all the lectures we give our children about staying safe and what to do in a situation like this.
“If we can all keep each other and our children aware of such thing we can hopefully stop something like this, or worse, from happening in the future.”
A spokesperson for Tudor Grange Academy told The Observer the academy takes the safety of its students extremely seriously.
They added: “We issue advice to students and their parents where necessary via assemblies, tutor time, our website and our Parent Portal.
“We have excelled in our safeguarding, which includes e-safety, and provide training for many other institutions nationally.
“Any concerns are dealt with efficiently and effectively and we have a tremendous working relationship with services such as the police, local authority and fire service.
“If we are concerned about any issues in our community we have excellent lines of communication and are pro-active to promote positive behaviours.”
WEST Midlands Police have issued the following advice to children:
* Never go off on your own with a stranger, take things from them or get in a car with them.
* Make sure you tell your parents where you are.
* If someone scares you, or makes you feel uncomfortable go somewhere safe, which could be your home, your school or a police station.
* Remember to tell someone what has happened straight away.
* Always dial 999 in an emergency.
