A SOUTHAMPTON school went on "lockdown" after a six-year-old pupil went missing and paid a to visit at a local supermarket.

The boy gave teachers at Sinclair Nursery and Primary School the slip by squeezing through a 14cm gap under a gate.

He was understood to be found by a parent walking to Sainsbury’s, in Lords Hill Way, where his mother works.

The supermarket is more than half-a-mile away from the Sinclair Road-based school.

One anonymous parent told the Echo that the school went on "lockdown" after the boy went missing on Thursday.

They added that a search was thought to be carried out by teachers for "more than an hour".

Gerida Montague, executive headteacher of Sinclair Nursery and Primary School, said the school was taking the incident "very seriously" and the youngster's escape was an "extremely rare and unlikely occurrence".

Mrs Montague said: "This was a one-off incident – no child has ever left the site under a gate in the history of the school.

"We take this very seriously and have closed the small gap by installing a tarmac hump and a metal ‘skirt’ to prevent this happening again.

"Safeguarding is an absolute priority for Sinclair Nursery and Primary School and we have taken swift action to ensure that the school is completely secure."

Keith Morrell, Coxford ward councillor, said: "It is important that an investigation is carried out, as I am sure that the school will do, to find out why and how this happened and to ensure it does not happen again.

"Gerida is a very experienced headteacher and I am sure she will do whatever is necessary."

Fellow ward councillor Don Thomas said: "I did not know about this – I am surprised that the boy could get out of the school grounds in this way.

"He must have been very determined to get out, because I know the school is fussy about security.

"I am really pleased to hear the boy was found safe and well."

Education bosses declined to say where the boy was found, how long it took for him to be found, and who discovered where he was.

They also declined to explain what the school's protocol is when a pupil goes missing, or how the alarm was raised.