Maureen Murphy, Headteacher, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, said: “We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of our former students Kyle and Giselle and their mother Julianna. All children from the family attended St Joseph’s when they were younger and were a cherished part of our school community. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with their family, friends and the wider community.

We were very shocked to learn that St Joseph’s was an intended target in this incident. However we would like to reassure our parents and carers that there is no threat to the school. We have robust systems in place to keep children safe at school at all times. This includes having clear procedures in place such as lockdown and safety processes which are regularly practised at the school.

We are proud to be a multi-cultural Catholic community where the safety of children will always be our number one priority and this will never be compromised.

We recognise that this case and the media coverage may cause concern for parents and children and with help from Luton Council we have put a range of support in place to any parent or pupil who needs it at this time.”