New support launched to help teachers and vulnerable pupils after Northallerton school plot

Children and young people’s safeguarding practice in North Yorkshire has been reviewed and improved further since the arrest and conviction of two Northallerton teenagers on serious charges in 2018.

Safety guidelines have been drawn up to help teachers identify vulnerable pupils and to tackle bullying, so they can intervene and provide help earlier.

It's after two teens were found to be planning a copy-cat Columbine massacre-style plot at a Northallerton school.

North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership has concluded fresh guidelines following a two-year investigation into the plot to replicate the 1999 US school tragedy.

Alex Bolland and Thomas Wyllie, who were 14 when they were arrested in 2017, were given ten and 12-year custodial sentences for conspiracy to murder.

Officers found they had drawn up a “hit-list” of targets, including those who bullied and wronged them at school, as well as teachers.

Despite repeated complaints and demands for answers from parents at the school who have claimed they were misled over safety issues by the school before the boys’ arrest, the long-awaited report has not been published.

While the report is said to focus both on how information was shared between different agencies, and responses to the incidents which had been reported before the arrest of the two boys, none of the details have been revealed.

Parents of former pupils at the school described the decision not to address their concerns which had affected hundreds of students as “disappointing”, but the safeguarding partnership said the report contained “highly sensitive details and personal information relating to a number of young people, who would be identifiable from the information within the report”.

It said: “Making such identifications public would potentially compromise the safety of family and other people connected to the young people concerned. As a result, as is common practice in such reviews nationally, the full report will not be made public. ”

The partnership, which represents the county council, North Yorkshire Police, the NHS, schools and community groups, said many of its recommendations have already been acted on by the organisations involved.

The partnership said cases where thresholds at which young people may pose a risk to themselves others will go before a multi-agency screening process and that “a great deal of work” had taken place with schools to create support plans for vulnerable pupils including those at risk of exclusion, tackling bullying, supporting victims and intervention.

A training and awareness programme helping all professionals to improve their identification and management of abusive, coercive and controlling relationships between children has begun across the county and youth organisations are helping children on ways to recognise negative relationships.

Dr Maggie Atkinson, chair of the partnership executive and former children’s commissioner for England, said the case had been “complex and tragic”.

She said: “The impact of the circumstances surrounding this case were serious and long lasting, in particular for a number of young people and their families. The impact of this case was also felt by professionals from many services involved in North Yorkshire. Those services have been closely involved in this review and have worked and continue to work together to ensure lessons are both learned and applied.

“By law, I must seek concrete and detailed assurance that such work is completed appropriately, professionally and sensitively. In relation to this case, I can confirm that I am assured of this.

“I am also clear that the findings and recommendations in relation to the review of this case have been – and continue to be – acted upon to strengthen existing professional practice.”