Closed Dorset School Break-Ins Lead to Parents Patrolling Grounds

A private school in Dorset, England, closed suddenly in late October, and now parents are taking turns patrolling the school grounds at night. Leweston School, located just outside the town of Sherborne, shut its doors on October 27. Parents were told by email that the school would not reopen after the half-term break. Since then, groups of moms and dads have been working together around the clock to keep the empty campus safe.

The patrols began after reports that a group of young people, wearing balaclavas to hide their faces, had entered the closed school's grounds. Police received a report of possible trespassing on October 29 at around 1:15 in the afternoon. Officers came to the scene and spoke with four young people, taking down their information. However, no crimes were confirmed at that time.

Things got more serious on October 31, when doors to some of the school's outer buildings were found damaged. It was reported to police that the locks had been broken, but it was not confirmed whether anything was stolen. The incidents made parents even more determined to protect the site and the people still living there.

That's right — a small number of school staff members are still living on the school's property, in the dormitory buildings. Hugh Dickinson, the CEO of Concept Education, the company that took over Leweston in December, said the company is very aware of how hard this is for those workers. He said, 'We are treating their circumstances as a matter of urgency, particularly with regard to security and utilities.' He promised to do everything possible to support them.

Parent Bea Atkinson, who has two children that went to Leweston, helped organize the volunteer patrols. She explained that the parents do three-hour shifts through the night, every day of the week. 'We have our rounds now, we have our routines, we have radios, break torches, all sorts of things,' she said. The group is determined to keep watch until proper security can be put in place.

Dorset Police reminded the public that people should never put themselves in danger. They advised anyone who needs to report a crime to call 999, the emergency number in the United Kingdom. Even so, the parent volunteers say they feel it is their responsibility to protect the school until more help arrives.