**Schoolgirl Accidentally Locked In After-School Nap, Rescued Five Hours Later**
In a remarkable incident at Briscoe Lane Academy in Newton Heath, Manchester, an 11-year-old girl was inadvertently left inside her school overnight after dozing off following the end of the school day. The Year 6 pupil, who is understood to have had permission to walk home independently, was discovered by emergency services several hours after the school closed its doors.
The sequence of events unfolded on Tuesday, 8 July, when the pupil reportedly found a secluded spot to rest after lessons had ended. As the campus emptied for the evening and staff secured the site, she remained asleep and unnoticed. It wasn’t until the girl awoke, some five hours after the building had been vacated, that she realised she was unable to leave the premises.
Remarkably resourceful, the girl located a landline phone within the school and dialled 999, alerting authorities to her predicament. Responding swiftly, police attended the scene at around 9pm and, soon after, enlisted help from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Firefighters from Philips Park station arrived and facilitated her escape through a toilet window, bringing the situation to a safe conclusion some 20 minutes after the emergency call was made.
Fortunately, the child was uninjured during the incident. However, the event has been met with significant concern from both parents and the school’s governing trust. One parent remarked on the sense of betrayal felt by families: “We entrust our children’s safety to school staff each day. That trust has been shaken by what has happened.” Calls have been made for an independent investigation to be conducted, with parents demanding a comprehensive review of the school’s end-of-day procedures to ensure pupils’ safety is never compromised in future.
Briscoe Lane Academy, part of the Wise Owl Trust group, has emphasised the seriousness with which it is treating the matter. The trust, which manages four other schools besides Briscoe Lane, confirmed it had reported the event to Manchester City Council’s designated officer for safeguarding. The school indicated that the circumstances did not merit an Ofsted referral and that no further external action had been taken so far.
A spokesperson for the academy issued a brief statement, citing the need for discretion. “Due to the sensitive nature and out of respect for the privacy of all involved, we are unable to discuss individual circumstances. We can confirm, however, that we are fully cooperating with families and safeguarding partners to support every child’s welfare inside and outside the classroom. The wellbeing and security of our pupils are our upmost priorities,” the statement read.
Greater Manchester Police also provided confirmation of their role, noting that officers responded to a call from a child at the academy shortly before 9pm. After being safely recovered via the assistance of the fire service, the girl was handed over to police and subsequently reunited with her family.
No formal explanation has yet been offered as to how the child’s absence went undetected by staff, nor whether she was reported missing by her family before the emergency services were contacted. This has raised critical questions regarding the routines in place for dismissing pupils, especially those allowed to leave independently at the end of the day.
The episode underscores the paramount importance of safeguarding checks and end-of-day roll calls in school environments. While incidents such as these are rare, they serve as a reminder of the need for rigorous staff training and the continual review of safeguarding protocols.
As the school community and responsible authorities work to ensure that such an oversight is never repeated, families across the area are left to reflect on the incident. It remains to be seen whether the reviews and recommendations in the wake of this event will lead to wider changes across the educational trust, or indeed, across the sector as a whole.