Lockdown in Schools

It really does depend on your school but if you have a lockdown procedure in place why not practice it with pupils.

We always recommend that you practice your school lockdown procedure first with just staff and only practice with pupils once you are confident your lockdown procedures are clear and well-rehearsed.

You don’t have to explain it’s a terrorist threat and some schools practice lockdown with pupils by explaining there is a swarm of bees outside so the situation is not too scary.

You may wish to inform parents that you have developed Lockdown procedures and will be practicing them with pupils. At Cousins Safety we recommend this approach and that way if the pupils come home and explain they have been in Lockdown you won’t be deluged with phone calls and social media alight with parent comments.

Practicing school lockdown

It is important to get parental support of regularly practicing lockdown so if and we say a BIG IF you have to go into lockdown for real – the pupils will deal with this calmly and will not be alarmed.

It is important to view lockdown similar to fire evacuation procedures and fire drills. Regular testing can ensure staff and pupils know what to do and try and explain this to parents.

Lockdown can be used in a number of situations and these do not necessarily mean terrorist attacks.

In our experience Lockdown has been used for a number of non-terrorist related reasons which range from a vehicle fire outside school to an unhappy parent trying to obtain their child as part of a domestic dispute.

Schools that have practiced with pupils have reported how it has gone smoothly and that parents have supported the school.

Top tip – do not display your lockdown procedures on the school website but explain that you have procedures in place to deal with emergency situations.

With any practice there will be things that are thrown up but like fire evacuations the drill are to test the procedures so that things can be improved.

We recommend that you have an open evening or session for parents to attend by inviting parents in for a presentation and Q and A session on Lockdown.

Reassure parents that before any practice of lockdown the pupils will be informed about what is going to happen in a safe manner.

To help Cousins Safety have developed a 30-minute session in a box for you to pick up and just deliver to parents.

What is covered in the Lockdown training session for parents:

• Situations that will trigger a lockdown
• Communication – How we will let you know we are in Lockdown
• The All Clear
• Practicing Lockdown procedures
• If we have a real Lockdown Incident

What’s included in the Session in a box:

• Tutor notes (step by step guide on how to deliver the training)
• Professional power point presentation (that can be tweaked to reflect your
• school procedures)
• Signing in sheet to keep a record of parents/carers that attended the session
• Training plan for trainer to make sure they stay on track

For more information on Session in a box – Lockdown training for Parents click here.