To think it's very depressing that school children need to learn this

It came up at a gathering after the horrible events in Southport so was discussed between the adults who own the 19 kids (they don't go to 19 different schools by the way!!)

It's been relatively common topic on here over the years and it's always piqued my interest that my kids schools don't do it so I've asked about.

I wouldn't be sure enough to bet my life on it, but it's not common practice in my neck of the woods.

The only time I've been in a school when the lockdown had to be activated has been angry threatening parents. That happens far more often than many people realise I think.

It's not just about shooters.

Sorry but I have 4 children, the eldest being 20 and they have never ever had to do this....fire drill yes, intruder no

We were doing this when I was in year 7 (2000) and when my brother was the same age (late 90s). We were given the example of Dunblane, and there was no sugar coating it - we knew exactly what it was for.

My dc did that at primary. It was always pitched as a dangerous stray dog entering the school rather than a gunman. In our area, a dog is more likely. Parents get up in arms about it but dc aren’t phased.

I’d be asking all those schools why they’re potentially putting the children at risk by not doing these practices. I suspect they are, but sugar coating it as something else.

At my kids rural school it’s a “dog loose in the playground” drill done a couple of times a year, and they’re all completely non-plussed by it. Really, it’s a good thing to show children how to stay calm and composed in an emergency situation.

We did this at school in the 90s. If schools weren’t prepared you’d be moaning too

This is quite surprising. No doors on the classrooms. I teach reception and our lockdown place is in the children’s toilets. There’s no locks on the cubicles but that’s the best we have so that’s where we go.

Because, police will take a minimum of 5 minutes to arrive, unless they happen to be near already. We have a lot of trouble around the school frequently; a lot of drugs; a lot of gangs; a lot of serious violence. Then there are angry parents looking for kids in SS care; angry and violent parents going for staff. Generally, a lot of angry people. With very little to keep them out.

The last time I broke in to a school, it took me around 45 seconds to get from out of school grounds to the first classroom. It would have taken about 30 more seconds to be in that class, if I didn't care about breaking things...

This timeframe means if someone gets in with serious intent, no one can get there fast enough to help. Which means I choose between watching my kids hurt or taking on an intruder alone, should that happen. Which is quite terrifying to consider in full.

It is unlikely, but unlikely things happen. I have seen enough serious violence to know how fast it happens when it does.

We've not done a lockdown drill for years (the kids thought it was great fun to doss about under a desk instead of doing maths) but we do occasionally play the lockdown alarm and the fire alarm in registration so that kids know the difference between the two. It would be pretty bad if there was a lockdown and kids piled outside thinking it was a fire drill.

My school has gone into lockdown a couple of times, I know teachers in other schools who would say the same. It's rare, but it happens, so it's something schools need to be prepared for. When talking about it to the kids they always jump straight to 'school shooter' so I make sure to tell them that we haven't had school shootings in the UK since the 90s (and thank god I can continue to tell them that).

It's been standard in most schools since Dunblane and the machete attack in the nursery school where Lisa Potts was injured.

A lot of the time though it's not been obvious. It's played out with the children as what to do if a dog gets loose in the playground or the likes.

I worked in schools for 20 years going in and out of different schools each day and in each LA area I worked in the schools did the drills. Some are just more open about it than others.

DD once came home full of excitement as they'd practised what to do if a lion got loose in the playground (we life relatively close to a wildlife park) and a keeper with a dart guy had to come. DS - two years older at the same school, and who also took part never mentioned it, and when asked could only remember a kid in his class knocking over a pencil pot that day 😂

Lots of schools do these, kids take it in their stride, it us who get upset

v necessary in my opinion

My dd had an actual lockdown this week. Someone brought a knife in and they had to hide under the tables in silence for 40 minutes.

They had absolutely no idea what was happening and could hear men shouting ‘armed police’ as they searched the whole building for the perpetrator.

My dd said people were throwing up because they were so frightened. They didn’t know what the threat was. They didn’t know who they were looking for or whether the voices they heard were actually the police or whether it was the person they were hiding from. And she said she kept thinking that the person could be in the room with them!

I asked her if she thought the drills had helped and she said yes because at least she knew what it actually was because of the no talking that could not be communicated at the time. Also she said that the people who were in classrooms were OK as there was a teacher telling them what to do but that people who were doing PE or who were just walking down a corridor wouldn’t have known what was happening at all if it hadn’t been for the drills.

I'm not the person to ask, it wasn't me that came up with the idea!

That particular school wasn't open plan. I was working in the reception class at the time and the children hid in the class kitchen, the toilets, underneath furniture, etc. They found it all a great deal of fun tbh and we had to keep shushing them as they were giggling.

No trauma involved at all.

My son's school had two lockdowns because people let dogs loose in the sheep pen behind the school. Dog started worrying sheep, so farmer had to shoot it. They are rural kids so they weren't concerned about hearing a shotgun. My son was more upset by seeing a sheep getting ripped to pieces.

“Where are these drills happening?”
Well we’re in a village near a “nice” rural market town - about as far from inner city schools as it gets 🤷‍♀️.

Also how do you know about your many nephews and nieces? Just because they haven’t told you about it doesn’t mean they haven’t happened! We’ve never mentioned our kids’ school drills to their uncles or aunts, so they wouldn’t know that they’ve experienced them - but they have.

I don't think it's standard everywhere, I just asked my son (yr 7) and he said that he's never done one at primary or secondary (Kent)

Can you think of what changes that were implemented possibly related to this?

I think it's entirely possible to acknowledge that they are keeping your child safe while simultaneously feeling pretty appalled that it's necessary at all.

Not standard anywhere I’ve heard of and my kids have never had a drill. However at 16 and 19, their tech college went into lockdown a few months ago because there was an armed man threatening a neighbouring college. That was scary enough for two kids who’d only known the bubble of a private school until this year.

I am hoping that their peers have not lived like this, but they were apparently very matter of fact, so I concluded that we’ve been living in a very privileged bubble indeed.

And doing drill is going to help in which way?
That the current system didn’t do

I remember doing this at school years ago but it was under the pretence of a loose dog and I always thought it was crazy, why would we have to close the blinds the dogs not going to be inside, I think a lot of schools do similar where the kids don’t even realise what they’re doing the training for. I think it’s a good thing same as fire drills better to be prepared

Why?

What sort of danger do you think it’s going to protect children from?
And
Do you think it would be in any case efficient?

eg the primary schools where I live are all open plan.
No doors on the classrooms etc…

Its not just guns.

A 15yo died at school last month in Sheffield after being stabbed.

Scotland very commonly.

Every school in my region has a lockdown procedure. Thankfully they also have one for students with knives, actioned in a primary school here only last week. Child with weapon.

AFAIK everyone in my family/friends under 30 and/or their children have such drills annually. Start of the academic year usually. Fire drills a couple of times a year.