The message below was received from the Thames Valley Police, with forward messaging to parents requested.  I publish that message in full:

“As you will no doubt be aware, on Tuesday night the Prime Minister confirmed that the national terrorist threat has been raised to critical. This change means that an attack could be imminent. At this time there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat to the Thames Valley area. Our priority is to protect the communities of the Thames Valley and visitors to our area. We have put in place additional armed and unarmed officers at key locations. This is very much focused on crowded places, including transport hubs and shopping centres. Don’t be alarmed if you see more armed police officers both on foot and in vehicles.  For operational reasons we are not confirming details of locations, tactics and numbers of police officers on duty, to ensure the effectiveness of our deployments. We will continue to work with our partners and event organisers to assess the planned events where we may need to enhance our presence.”

Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said:

“I would like to reassure you that the move to critical is something that we prepare for. We will continually review our deployments and take all possible steps to keep people safe within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
At this time we need everyone to remain alert but not alarmed.  We need your help to help us protect our communities and disrupt those who seek to harm us. I would urge you to contact the police straight away if you believe that someone is acting suspiciously.
Our officers and staff will continue to provide a visible presence in our communities and we have the specialist resources in place to respond in an emergency.”