How red v blue 'school war' rumour caused alarm across town

It is thought a social media post started it all - an online notice for a school "war" pitching the pupils of six secondaries against each other.

But the date for the purported "red v blue" brawl in Leamington Spa - which was last Friday - came and went without a fight.

Some parents, expecting trouble, kept pupils at home for their safety. Most children went in, but at the end of the school day, traffic snarled up as concerned mums and dads rushed to pick up their children.

Warwickshire Police stationed officers outside schools, many of which had formally issued advice to parents.

A few days on, it is still unclear whether a fight was ever planned or it was only ever rumour that got a bit out of hand.

Police say they are monitoring the situation but some parents have branded it all a "storm in a tea cup".

The "red v blue" trend emerged in February, with online posts celebrating rivalry between pupils in London and dividing schools into teams for a supposed brawl.

Since then, a number of copycat versions have emerged around the country.

In Leamington, schools said a number of "concerning" social media posts had circulated on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, leading them to issue advice to parents ahead of 13 March.

The posts typically feature images of people in balaclavas and a list of schools, presenting them as either being within the red side or blue.

So far, no incidents linked to the trend have been reported to police.

In letters from schools seen by the BBC, parents of pupils at Campion School and North Leamington School were advised to encourage children to travel home promptly after the school day and to "avoid congregating" in public.

"These posts, sometimes referred to as 'Red/Blue' or 'Warwickshire School Wars', appear to encourage rivalry and conflict between students from different local secondary schools," one school explained.

"The police have advised us that most posts nationally are AI-generated, exaggerated or hoaxes and very few cases have escalated to real risk, requiring police dispersal orders and intelligence-led patrols to deter gatherings."

But as the guidance came, Whatsapp chats blew up, and a series of false rumours and misinformation followed.

A suggestion within such chatter that one school had shut for the day was untrue, as were claims parents had been told to collect their children early.

Messages seen by the BBC included parents discussing where they had heard the "war" would take place, including public parks and car parks.

Ali Bulley, who has children at both Myton and North Leam, felt concerned enough collect them both from school.

"Whether it was true or not true, I was in the lucky situation where I was able to pick them up, so I did," she said.

"When a child's involved, you can't take any threat lightly."

Arriving at Myton first, she discovered a strong police presence, with patrol cars parked outside and other officers on foot.

"I have to say I was really impressed, but that part, seeing all the police, did give me goosebumps," she said. "The presence was incredible, but then did it also add worry to the kids."

While her children initially thought it was all "really stupid", seeing the police did make them take it more seriously, she explained.

Although no violence appears to have taken place, she still feels her reaction was the right one.

"I think it's sad that someone would do this, and make children feel unsafe," she added.

As police were stationed outside all six schools as a precaution, some nearby roads became jammed as parents went to collect children.

Officers also maintained a presence in the Asda car park near Campion, as well as on Sandy Lane near North Leam.

While some parents praised the response from authorities, elsewhere online other parents made the case the whole thing was being blown out of proportion.

"Nothing happened because nothing was ever going to happen," one woman said.

"This was made up and was manifested by adults. This was a rumour the adults latched on to."

Others suggested the town had fallen victim to "scaremongering", and lamented the sight of community wardens, teachers and police officers outside schools.

The BBC has asked Warwickshire Police where the original post was made. The force has not disclosed the information.

It did say it had been working closely with schools and local authorities to engage with young people.

"We've seen a lot of concern caused by this online trend and I would like to take this chance to reassure young people and parents that we are monitoring the situation closely," Ch Insp Simon Ryan said.

"We will not have our young people being made to feel unsafe, and we will take swift, robust action against anyone who attempts to incite violence."

Warwickshire County Council said it was aware of the trend and was working with the police and schools to raise awareness of what famillies could do if children were exposed to "alarming" social media content.

A spokesperson added families had been advised to speak to children about the risks of viral social media trends that promoted conflict and to report anything concerning to the platforms involved.

"Incidents occurring outside of school should be reported to the police," they added.

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