AN investigation has been launched into a firework incident at Grange Technology College last week.

A pupil let the firework off in a stairwell on Wednesday, October 31, causing an evacuation of the building and the fire brigade being called.

The Southfield Grange Trust said no students were adversely affected and no-one was injured.

In a statement it said an investigation was underway to establish how the incident happened, as bag searches and random checks had been carried out by school staff for the last four weeks.

Headteacher Alison Mander said: “I will not accept any incidents of fireworks or any other dangerous objects being brought onto school premises. Last year several students were permanently excluded from Grange for letting off fireworks on school premises and my position has not changed.

“I will continue to apply the sanction of permanent exclusion when I need to, in order to maintain good order in the school.

"This year the community has recognised a very serious problem of misuse of fireworks; staff of the school have been among the leaders in the community who are seeking to challenge the sale of fireworks to children, and have been patrolling neighbourhoods to try to reduce the subsequent dangerous behaviour that this has led to. They have my full support and gratitude.”

The CEO of The Southfield Grange Trust, Dominic Wall said: “Grange is continuing its journey out of special measures. Ofsted have carried out four monitoring inspections which have recognised the progress being made under the strong leadership of headteacher Miss Mander, who challenges students to live up to the highest expectations and values of the community as ‘True Grangers’.

“The vast majority of our students show their support for this vision every day by ‘being their best selves’, and we support our staff and school leaders when they have to challenge those who seek to undermine our values of respect, aspiration and equality.”