A MAN was arrested after he was spotted with a knife on a primary school playground.

School leaders at SS Simon and Jude CE Primary in Great Lever said they moved swiftly to reassure parents that their children were not in danger.

A video taken by a concerned parent showed children nearby as the man was arrested and a knife was removed from his clothing by police and placed on a nearby wall.

The school said the man was collecting his siblings.

The Bolton News:

KNIFE: The seized weapon

Phil Mason, vice-chairman of the trustee board, said: “A young person was arrested on the playground at 3.15pm today for possession of a knife.

“The young person was there to collect younger siblings from school. Parents and carers picking up their children are allowed to gather on the yard prior to receiving their children from their teachers.

“A vigilant parent noticed that the young man had a knife in his possession and reported this to the police who attended within five minutes.”

He added: “We can reassure parents that the children who were leaving school at the time were under the close supervision of staff and that they were never in any danger.”

It is understood the young man was not waving the knife in any way.

A text was sent to parents following the incident.

It read: ‘Police attended an incident where a knife was brought onto the playground after school. We can reassure you that no child or parent was put in any danger.’

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers were called to a report of a man with a knife.”

A parent at the school who lives nearby but did not wish to be named, said: “We went into school to pick my lad up at about quarter past three. We saw this guy, he didn’t look like a parent or a child.

“Two PCs took him to one side and all of a sudden a knife was coming out. The police were searching him once they had him apprehended and when they were searching him a knife came out. It looked like an army knife or something like that. It was about 10 inches.

“It was a little bit surreal. They took the knife.”

SS Simon and Jude CE Primary is one of Bolton’s best schools, rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Every area of the school was given the top mark in its latest report.

Ofsted said that pupils have a ‘curiosity and thirst’ for learning, which was ‘ignited by a rich and relevant curriculum’. Inspectors reported: “ Leaders are meticulous in ensuring that safeguarding policies and procedures are up to date and effective. A robust safeguarding induction ensures that teachers and other adults new to the school are in no doubt of their responsibilities to keep pupils safe.”