Young girl calls 999 after being locked in primary school after falling asleep

A young student was trapped inside her primary schoolfor hours after lessons ended, and had to resort to calling 999to escape at 9pm.

The girl, who had dozed off and was missed by staff, was eventually freed by firefightersthrough a toilet window. The Year 6 pupil, thought to be around 11 years old, was unharmed during the ordeal. She is believed to have found a landline phone within the school and rang the policemore than five hours later. The pupil was freed 20 minutes later when the police enlisted the help of the fire service, which dispatched a fire engine to the building.

Briscoe Lane Academy in Newton Heath, Manchester, the primary school involved, confirmed in a statement that it was treating the incident on Tuesday with utmost seriousness and has reported it to the council.

The school, which received a 'good' rating from Ofsted in its last inspection, is part of the Wise Owl Trust, an east Manchester-based trust that operates four other schools, Manchester Evening News reports.

As a Year 6 student, it is understood that the girl had permission to walk home after school. It remains unclear whether she was reported missing at the time.

A parent of another student at the school claimed that families have been left "shaken" by the news. They said: "We send our children to school trusting they'll be safe, accounted for and cared for. That trust has been broken."

The concerned parent called for a "full and independent" investigation and added: "The school's end-of-day procedures clearly require an immediate overhaul. This isn't about finger-pointing, it's about ensuring something like this can never happen again."

Greater Manchester Police said it responded to the school following a distress call from the girl at around 9pm, with the child being safely retrieved approximately 20 minutes later without any injuries.

The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service also confirmed dispatching a fire engine from Philips Park station to Briscoe Lane at around 9pm upon police request, where they facilitated "a child out of a locked building through a window", subsequently placing her in the care of the police.

The school has reported the incident to Manchester council via its local authority designated officer, stating that no Ofsted referral was necessary and that no further action ensued. A spokesperson for the school said: "Out of respect for the privacy of all involved, we are unable to comment on the individual circumstances of this very sensitive matter which we are treating extremely seriously.

"However, we want to reassure everyone that we work very closely with families, safeguarding partners and other relevant agencies to ensure every child has the support they need, both in and out of the classroom. Our priority remains the welfare, safety and well-being of all pupils."