An incident at a primary school in Abergavenny earlier this year has not been dealt with in an appropriate manner, according to one of the families affected by the ordeal.

In July, the Chronicle reported on the case of a schoolboy who managed to take five stanley knives from a cupboard in a classroom before leaving the school site with them. All the blades were eventually accounted for and returned to the school, which can now be named as Llanfoist Fawr Primary School.

In a statement, Monmouthshire County Council confirmed at the time that a review into the school’s practise was to be undertaken and any learnings taken from it would be implemented. Three-and-a-half months later, the authority stopped short of saying what had actually changed.

"The council can confirm that following a review, school processes have been amended and strengthened,” a spokesperson said.

11-year-old Daisy Banks says she was threatened by a child of the same age while walking home from school on June 11. However, Daisy’s parents were not informed about the incident until a whole week later, on Friday June 18, after their daughter recounted the event to them.

Henriette Banks, Daisy’s mother, said she was appalled by the school’s response and dissatisfied with the support it offered.

“As Daisy’s parents, we have a right to be immediately and fully involved of any serious event that places our child at risk,” she said.

“We feel we have been left in the dark and did not receive sufficient updates on Daisy’s offer of counselling, which we were not told about, the investigation into the incident and the measures being implemented to enhance overall school security.”

A child was suspended after the incident, but Daisy’s family says there was no warning of them returning to school, when they were placed together in the same classroom. The school’s formal complaints process was followed.

The parents were also concerned that police officers gave Daisy too much autonomy over whether a formal prosecution should take place, but they maintain officers were very supportive when they were called to the family home.

In a statement, Gwent Police confirmed they were called to an incident.

“We received a report of a child making threats towards another child in the Abergavenny area on Wednesday June 11,” a spokesperson said.

“Officers investigated and made a referral to the Youth Offending Service.”

The force also confirmed their policies and procedures are based around the National Police Chiefs’ Council Child Centred Policing Principles. As a result, a child’s view on any matter must be given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity.

“While a child’s wishes are considered, they do not override the duty to investigate or prosecute where appropriate. A child cannot unilaterally decide whether an investigation continues,” said Sergeant Gareth Jenkins, Youth and Engagement and Schools at Gwent Police.

“We provide dedicated training to officers to achieve the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) guidance for interviewing child victims and witnesses, while our officers have access to the College of Policing’s professional best practice.”