A 13-year-old boy has been charged after he brought a loaded handgun to a western Ottawa school Thursday.

Ottawa police received calls about a person with a gun at a "Nepean-area" intermediate school at about 4 p.m., the force said in a news release.

They arrested the teen, seized a loaded handgun and charged him with weapons offences.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board later said the incident happened at Frank Ryan Intermediate School, a school for Grade 7 and Grade 8 students on Chesterton Drive.

In a letter sent to parents around noon Friday, principal Julie Mathé said they were "very proud" of the students who reported the student with the gun in his schoolbag.

Police have said the gun was not used to threaten anyone.

Our school continues to be a safe place, despite this isolated serious incident​​. - Frank Ryan Intermediate School principal Julie Mathé

"We cannot share further details due to privacy concerns. In general, however, when there are safety concerns, the student involved is removed from the school," Mathé wrote.

The school is making "wellness supports" available to both students and staff at the school, the letter said, and will help the 13-year-old and his family "make sure that the student gets the support needed."

"Our school continues to be a safe place, despite this isolated serious incident, and I am very proud of how we work together," Mathé wrote.

The investigation continues.