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A primary school in Derbyshire was dramatically evacuated after a student brought a World War II hand grenade to a show-and-tell assembly, prompting a swift response from emergency services and a bomb disposal squad.
The incident occurred at Osmaston CofE Primary School in Ashbourne on Friday, May 16, when a young boy presented the grenade later identified as an old family heirloom during a classroom activity. While the child had no ill intent and believed the explosive to be a historical artifact, staff were caught off guard.
Head teacher Jeanette Hart acted immediately after realizing the object might be dangerous. “It was quite an eventful assembly,” she told the BBC. “There was a boy who brought an old bullet case in, which I knew about, but then his friend produced a hand grenade from his pocket.”
Placed it behind a tree
Uncertain whether the grenade was live, Ms. Hart carefully took the device from the student and placed it behind a tree in the school’s car park to minimize any potential risk. She then evacuated the building and called the police.
The Derbyshire Police and bomb disposal experts arrived at the scene and X-rayed the grenade. After a detailed analysis, it was determined that the device was not live and posed no threat. A spokesperson from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team praised the school’s quick action and even shared that students were shown the X-ray images afterward as part of the educational debrief.
According to Ms. Hart, the boy had brought the grenade from home without informing his parents. “We’d been talking about VE Day and he knew it was from the war and just thought it was an interesting thing,” she said. She added that she had a gentle conversation with the child after the incident.
While the situation was handled safely, the story has sparked fresh discussions about the importance of educating children about historical artifacts and the potential risks of bringing them to school.
The event ended without harm, thanks to the swift thinking of staff and emergency responders. The Derbyshire school has since returned to normal operations, and parents have been reassured about the safety protocols in place.
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