This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Tributes have been paid to a nine-year-old boy who died at an Essex school after he became trapped under a locker.

Leo Latifi had been with family members at an after-school swimming club at Great Baddow high school in Chelmsford.

An air ambulance landed at the school but the boy was taken by land ambulance to Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford where medical staff were unable to save his life, the East of England ambulance service said.

An Essex police spokesman said officers were called by the ambulance service at about 6.15pm to the school in Duffield Road. “The nine-year-old boy was believed to have fallen from a locker and become trapped underneath it,” he said. “He was taken to hospital, where he sadly died. The child was not a pupil at the school and had been there with family members at an after-school club.”

Maria Rumsey, the headteacher at St Michael’s primary school where Leo was a pupil, said: “All the staff, parents, governors and pupils from St Michael’s school are shocked and immensely saddened to hear of the tragic death of our Year 4 pupil, Leo Latifi. He will be greatly missed by all.

“We wish to extend our thoughts and condolences to all of Leo’s family and friends at this saddest of times. Leo was a sparkle in our school. His face lit up the classroom.

“We are supporting all of our children and staff today as we try to come to terms with this sad loss.

Police said they were liaising with the Health and Safety Executive about the death.

A statement on Great Baddow high school’s website said it was closed on Friday “due to exceptional circumstances” except for year 11 and year 13 students sitting exams.

The specialist science and sports college is described on its website as “a happy, safe and successful 11-18 school”.

The school’s headteacher, Carrie Lynch, said: “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Great Baddow high school are with the family and friends of the child who died yesterday evening, his school and swimming club.”

Vicky Ford, the Conservative MP for Chelmsford, tweeted that she was “very sorry to hear the terribly sad news of a death of a young boy at Great Baddow School. My heart goes out to his family, friends, teachers and all the school staff”.