Mary Immaculate Primary School in Bossley Park said it was “blessed” students were still in school when a small plane crashed in the adjacent Terone Park on Thursday 22 August.
The pilot steered the aircraft into trees at the empty park at approximately 2pm, after experiencing engine trouble shortly after take-off from Bankstown Airport.
“The staff and students at the school were blessed to have not been at the park at the time of the incident,” the school told The Catholic Weekly in a statement.
“Mary’s, whose statue stands high in the carpark of our Parish looking over our school in church, has been a comfort and strength as the community grapples with the danger narrowly avoided.”
Staff at Mary Immaculate were able to guide parents to collect their children safely away from the site while emergency services quickly attended the scene.
“The swift response of emergency personnel and the proximity to the school have raised concerns among parents and residents, but officials assured that there was no immediate danger to the students or staff at the school.”
Mary Immaculate parish priest Fr Danai Penollar was relieved that the event occurred before school broke for the day.
“It was quite a bit of a shock, but fortunately, the incident occurred at the furthest end of the park away from the school,” he said.
School resumed as normal on Friday 23 August.