A TEENAGER has been arrested after reports of a knife being carried at a school.

Police attended Steyning Grammar School earlier today and arrested a 15-year-old.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Sussex Police responded to reports of a teenager being in possession of a knife at Steyning Grammar School at about 9.40am today.

“A 15-year-old boy was arrested nearby on suspicion of possession of a knife or blade or pointed article in a public place and possession of a bladed article on school premises.

“No injuries were reported and police have liaised with school staff.”

Following the incident Councillor Sally Smith, who sits in the Central Ward in nearby Worthing, said: "We need to be thinking about causes of knife carrying and why a teenager would feel the need to carry one."

West Sussex County Council has also responded to the incident on behalf of the school.

A spokeswoman said: “We are fully aware of an incident at the Shooting Field campus of Steyning Grammar school this morning which involved a student bringing a knife onto the site.

"The school acted swiftly and appropriately to lock down all sites and inform the police who attended immediately.

"The young person involved was very quickly arrested and detained by Sussex Police off the school site.

“The safety of pupils and staff is of paramount importance and the systems all schools have in place to ensure their safety were used very effectively by the staff at Steyning Grammar School.

"The Head Teacher has written to all parents to inform them of the incident and reassure them of the immediate action taken.”

Steyning Grammar School was founded as a grammar school in 1614.

It teaches pupils aged between 11 and 18 across three sites, one in Church Street, Steyning, one in Rock Road, Storrington, and one in Shooting Field, also in Steyning. 

It also caters for boarders.

The school's motto is "every person the best they can be".

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This is a live incident and we will be updating this article.

If you saw what happened, get in touch by emailing harry.bullmore@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 021374