Bracknell Schools Lockdown: Email Threat Not Credible

An emailed threat that led some Bracknell Forest schools to lock down on Thursday morning was not credible, police have concluded. Nobody was harmed.

Bracknell Forest Council published the statement at 5.29pm on Thursday 24 September. It says Thames Valley Police assessed the email fully, and that “there is no information to suggest any genuine risk to pupils, staff or schools”. (Bracknell Forest Council, Statement on school issue, 24 September 2026)

What happened

Police contacted “a small number” of the borough’s schools on Thursday morning about “a possible threat to welfare”. Some of those schools then started their lockdown procedures.

Grainne Siggins, the council’s executive director for people, said:

“All Bracknell Forest school children and staff remain safe, and nobody has been harmed.”

She added that “a police investigation is continuing into who sent the email”.

The council has not said which schools received the email, or how many. It says it cannot comment further while the police investigation continues.

Thames Valley Police had not published its own statement on its website when we checked on Friday. We will add it if it does. (Thames Valley Police news)

What it means for you

• Schools are the place to go for detail. The council says schools “have been keeping their communities updated and will continue to do so”. Check your school’s own emails, texts and app.
• Schools have been given support. The council says they received “advice and reassurance” from the police and its safeguarding team.
• If your child is anxious about it, the school is the first contact. Children who were in a lockdown may want to talk it through.
• If you know anything about who sent the email, call Thames Valley Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

School dates for the rest of the year, including the October half term, are on our term dates page.