WEST Kidlington Primary School in Oxford Road kept its 370-odd children indoors yesterday morning after being alerted about the siege.

Headteacher Eugene Symonds said: “We heard from a variety of sources there had been an incident locally and they seemed to suggest this was reasonably close to the school.

“Unfortunately the police were not able to give us the kind of reassurances we would have wanted so we kept the children in the classrooms and managed access to and from the site.

“The children were remarkable.”

In a statement to parents Mr Symonds said he was “unwilling” to compromise on his pupils’ safety and thanked them for their support.