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Original poster

Kids doing 'lockdown' exercises in school

234 replies

cantsleepwontcry · 07/09/2023 06:42

1st day back yesterday for my year 12

Comes to tell me they did a lockdown exercise.... teacher blocked the door with chairs and they basically had to hide under desks, behind furniture until the threat was over

I'm quite surprised and upset that they feel the need to teach this in UK schools now.

OP posts:
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user1497864954 · 07/09/2023 08:28

I am quite sad that people have already forgotten that a teacher was stabbed by a pupil at a school in Gloucestershire near the end of last term. Thankfully the teacher was not killed. Contrary to what an earlier person has said, he wasn't easily apprehended and so the whole school went into lock down. These activities are not just about threats by people with armed weapons. Does the OP really not want her child's teacher to know how to respond in such a situation? .

Beaverbridge · 07/09/2023 08:29

Makes sense to be prepared and have knowledge of what to do.

user1497864954 · 07/09/2023 08:34

.

Fizbosshoes · 07/09/2023 08:35

I was sure my DC had never done one but now thinking about it DD has come home before and said someone accidentally set off /there was a fault with a panic alarm so we all had to do x, y or Z . Reading this thread maybe these are the "cover" stories/codes for implementing the practises.

Sprogonthetyne · 07/09/2023 08:35

We did them in secondary school in 2001, so it's nothing new. No different to a fire alarm.

Coffeaddict · 07/09/2023 08:39

I work at a university and we had a student come on site with a bb gun a few years back. They shut down the entire campus while the police and campus security found him. Luckily no one was hurt and he said it was a prank 😕 however it could have been far worse.

Also while guns are not easily available in UK things like knives are and in certain areas knife crime is incredibly common so I would be happy they are doing the drill.

MyEyesMyThighs · 07/09/2023 08:39

Are there any examples where practicing this would have made a difference? Not doing it on the spur of the moment but practicing it in advance.

The argument that bringing everyone inside and locking the door is helpful is not the same as practicing it. As they come in if it rains heavily, most kids do what the teacher says anyway, so it's the need to drum the risk home that's up for debate, not closing the doors.

I actually don't agree with it for most schools, we have anxiety and MH issues going through the roof in kids and we're teaching them to overreact if a cow might breathe on them. Teaching thousands of kids that school is not a safe place in case one child might benefit from lots of doomsday rehearsals (no proof of the latter either).

Flakey99 · 07/09/2023 08:41

Whinge · 07/09/2023 07:21

They do. It's been in place for decades, you might not be told about it by the school or your children, but it happens.

Show quote history

Probably happens if you live in a city or large town, but it definitely doesn’t happen where I live. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If it was a cow wandering into the school, they’d be plenty of (farming) students well able to herd it away.

GCSister · 07/09/2023 08:43

Perhapsperhapsto · 07/09/2023 08:08

Never heard of any school in our region doing anything like this, nor any school of friends either.
Not sure there’s much point TBH. Common sense to shut the door and lock it if there seems to be a problem, but the chances of someone in the U.K. breaking into a school with a gun are almost zero. A looney with a knife can be quickly contained - but again, it’s so rare I’d rather my kids did fire drills .

Clearly it's not just about guns 🙄

As for 'a loony with a knife'.... firstly, who are you expecting to approach and contain this person and secondly do you want you child witnessing or being in the vicinity of it happening?

It's sensible for staff and children to know what to do in an emergency.

HoppingPavlova · 07/09/2023 08:43

I’m in Australia and where I am located (major metro city) they have been doing them for past 18/20 years I recall. I think my eldest was in Yr1 or 2 when they started.

They are sensible. The first one my kids encountered was a dangerous dog that had gotten into school grounds, so no shooter or need to hide under desks but one alarm covers all. Then another time a mentally ill person had gotten into school (which had a fence) with a knife and had to be disarmed by police. Another one was a major gas leak on grounds and they got word into classrooms so everyone came out from under desks and boys had to take shirts off and stuff under classroom doors to stop gas getting in while gas company were trying urgently to cap the leak.

These drills are handy for many scenarios. Don’t know why anyone would be outraged or disappointed. I find it odd someone can get to Yr12 and have never done this!

SilverGlitterBaubles · 07/09/2023 08:43

I have heard of this being enacted by schools in the area where there was a police chasing an armed suspect on the run or in a local college where someone had entered with a knife. A teacher was stabbed by a 15 year old in Tewkesbury earlier this summer if I remember correctly. It is right that students and teachers know what to do to keep safe.

TakeMe2Insanity · 07/09/2023 08:44

We live in London this has been done for years in our school.

GCSister · 07/09/2023 08:45

I live in a tiny rural village and our village school has them once a term, the same frequency as fire drills.

PuttingDownRoots · 07/09/2023 08:47

Cow might be a bit silly... butvwhat about a bull? I'm just a townie, but hear bulls are a bit more volatile...

crumblingschools · 07/09/2023 08:48

Schools can also enact them if a pupil disregulates and becomes violent so need to keep other children away

Sleepygrumpyandnothappy · 07/09/2023 08:49

Also disappointed this wasn’t a rage against lazy PE teachers, but the cow discussion is amusing.

FWIW I went to a rural primary school. We did have cows get into the playing field a couple of times, and a dog in the playground once (I still have the school news paper write up of the dog, it was v exciting) Standard practice was to go inside and press our faces agains the window. No hiding under desks necessary.

ShitMermaid · 07/09/2023 08:50

I would rather my kids do this and be a bit anxious about it then have a real life situation happen and not know what to do.
I live in a city where a mad man shot and killed people including a child recently.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 07/09/2023 08:50

Can you not remember/heard about Dunblane OP?

Whinge · 07/09/2023 08:51

Probably happens if you live in a city or large town, but it definitely doesn’t happen where I live. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don't understand why people think it should only happen in cities or large towns. Invacuation drills are useful no matter what area you're in. We've had to use them for angry parents, other schools have used them because of chemical leaks / a fire in the local area or even to allow air ambulances to land on school grounds.

TrixieFatell · 07/09/2023 08:55

dressedforcomfort · 07/09/2023 07:05

I went to school near a military base at the height of the IRA bombing campaigns in the 80s. I remember doing a drill for a bomb scare. Must have been about 12 or so....looking back, it's incredible how blasé all the kids were about it. I can't imagine having that conversation with my kids now....

I am an army brat so attended army schools in Germany. We regularly had bomb drills at school (I remember a lock down after someone left their school bag in attended and the army had to come in) , an armed soldier on the school bus and my parents had to check the car for car bombs before we got in. She had an extendable mirror in he handbag so she could look under the car. It was just normal life and it wasn't until I came back to civvy life that I realized it wasn't the norm.

My children regularly have lock down drills in their schools, it's not something that upsets them.

towriteyoumustlive · 07/09/2023 08:55

A school's job is to keep children safe.

Although it's highly unlikely that a school will need to use a lockdown procedure, it's imperative for safeguarding to have one.

I'm surprised anyone is questioning this!

crumblingschools · 07/09/2023 08:56

@Sleepygrumpyandnothappy not all invacuations involve hiding under desks

MelodiousThunk · 07/09/2023 08:58

We've only ever had fire drills. Never had lockdown drills. DS has an American penpal and was horrified to find they regularly have them (and earthquake drills).

BorrowedThyme · 07/09/2023 08:58

PuttingDownRoots · 07/09/2023 07:01

When I was teaching, we had to use it several times when members of a rival gang would enter the school grounds looking for certain pupils who were a member of that local gang.

we've gone into lockdown for this too, and twice for a mugger armed with a knife. Once the man killed someone in the school entrance, and once came onto the premises, held up staff at knifepoint and took their carkeys

TawnyLarue · 07/09/2023 08:58

If it can happen in a wee town like Dunblane, it can happen anywhere. I wouldn’t take it for granted that schools in small towns/villages/rural areas are definitely safer.

Our school has locked gates during the day so the only way in is via a secure door through reception, but I don’t think they do lockdown drills.

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