Lockdown drills in UK schools

[RoseslnTheHospital]

These were mentioned on another thread, and I genuinely had never heard of a school in the UK regularly doing lockdown drills with their children. In the manner of the active shooter drills in the USA. Apparently there's an official government example of a drill routine and policy on the gov.uk site.

So, I was wondering, do you know if your children's school do these drills, or if they have a published policy on their website?

I think it's to keep as an event that does happen, so it doesn't turn it into a big drama.
Loads of schools have the "remember the day that dog was running around" stories.

If it was a lion there's no chance you'd keep the kids away from the windows!

I think the theory is more 'out of sight, out of mind' 'don't draw their attention'. realistically if someone was intent on finding every person, it wouldn't be hard, but these scenarios are based on an incredibly small chance that it would actually happen in reality. In the U.K. anyway, obviously in places like the US where these events have happened on a scale that we can't and don't want to really comprehend, they just have to try to do something.

I’m a teacher in Scotland and it’s not something I’ve experienced as a teacher/parent/pupil/student teacher

My secondary kids do it regularly, can't remember it happening at primary but rather ironically they did have a big dog in the grounds that they couldn't get hold of but it was the dog of a child in DDs class so he was taken out to call to the dog so it could be put back on a lead. Now wondering if that was just a story 🤔.

Next time you go to a classroom (parent's evening or whatever reason) there is quite often a coloured square or circle on the wall in one part of the room. This is where they congregate to be a blind spot through a door window I asked one day why it was there.

Every school I have worked in does these. It's a legal requirement in the same way as fire drills are

What is the law or regulation that makes it so? Why, if it's a legal requirement, do so many schools not do these or have a published policy about it?

When l was teaching in a big comprehensive we had 2 a year.

There we’re 3 different alarms, fire, intruder and lockdown. We got them muddled up all the time!

We had to do it for real when a man with a machete got into the school grounds a few years back. Since then, we practice every term.

I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years and have done one in that time. My kids school had to go into lockdown though after a suicide could be seen from the school windows.

Mine did it in infants 10 years ago

Oh god that’s horrific.

In the 2 schools I have worked in we have had lockdown drills. Lock the classroom/office door and hide under the desk. Done once a year.

All schools I have worked in have had a lockdown drill - in fact my current one has just sent an email to say we are having one next week
They don't have to be practised regularly- unlike fire drills. One school I worked at for 7 years only had one Lockdown drill whilst I was there.

It's not a legal requirement to do lockdown drills, it is however best practice and recommended as part of the overall non-statutory guidance into managing security incidents.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-security/school-and-college-security#overview

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-security

I tell my class we would come inside to help the dog as it'd be very excited with all those children to play with.

Real life reasons I've had to 'invacuate' were an adder on the field, a fire at a tyre depot nearby, an angry estranged parent banging on the windows, a large deer in the grounds and a very unwell naked gentlemen shouting at the fence (over 25 years in schools, not all at once!).

We're very lucky in most parts of the UK that an active shooter is way way down the list.

Yes, somebody hanging, could be clearly seen. School went into lockdown and all blinds closed while the police dealt with it.

I just asked my daughter who is in primary school. She said that they hide in a back room in their classroom with their teacher who locks the door. She said they practice in case someone breaks in. Don’t think my secondary school child does it.

No schools local to me do them. But I have several friends who teach in different parts of England and all say their schools do.

One had to use it when someone with a knife entered the building! Rural school too.

My child is in year 2 of primary school and has had a lock down drill at least once per academic year. She was very casual about the whole thing and described it as being for "if there is a grown up in the school that we don't know" Sad that they need to do it but seems a sensible approach.

My kids (y5 and 3) are adamant they have never done them

I don’t have an issue with drills but what is more terrifying in American schools is they have actual false alarms quite often. Not to mention the actual shootings which of course are just unthinkable.

I haven’t read the whole thread but we have one, it’s a large secondary with a big open site. All staff have a copy but it it is not published on the website. It is a secure policy - otherwise anyone planning harm will know how to prepare and could or or empt our actions.

My dog followed me to primary school and then ran riot in the playground! He wasn't big but was very, very fast. It was the 80s so we didn't lock down but had a great time watching the headteacher and the caretaker slipping all over the field trying to catch him.

Yea mine used to do them in primary. Used the lockdown once when a parent got into the school trying to take their kids being very loud, aggressive and disruptive.