A Department of Education spokesman would not confirm the nature of the incident, but said it was not a police issue at this stage.

“The safety procedure was initiated to ensure students’ safety when an incident emerged,” he said.

“The prompt response enabled staff to manage the incident effectively.”

A parent of a student at the school contacted the Western Advocate and said the door to his child’s classroom was locked during the incident and the teacher told students to get under their desks.

Bathurst Public School principal Kate White posted a message on the school’s Facebook page to students’ parents and carers following the incident.

“Today [Tuesday] at school we had a lock out situation just after recess. This was due to an incident at school,” she wrote.

“To ensure the safety of all children and staff, we took the option to have all children in their classroom until the situation was under control.

“All children at Bathurst Public School were safe at all times.

“We thank parents for their continued support of our school.”

The Department of Education spokesman commended staff and students for their response to the lockdown safety procedure.

“Lockdowns are one of a number of safety procedures rehearsed regularly by public schools,” he said.