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

[Eastie77Returns]

DD's school is producing a video showing children what to do in the event there is an intruder in the school and they need to go into 'lockdown'. I found out as she has been asked to take part in the video production.She is in Y7.

DS is in Y4 and he told me they did a practice drill at his primary school where they followed the steps they needed to take in a similar situation.

Honestly it makes me feel very sad. I understand in the current climate it's necessary and in countries like the US it's standard but I never thought I'd see something like this here.

Our high school had both a real bomb threat and an incident of a pupil bringing a gun into school. Both events that had practices in place prior to them happening. Scotland though so maybe because of Dunblane it became a reality for us. Primary schools also have these drills. Not unusual at all here.

Most schools didn't have secure fencing and keypad entry system prior to 13 March 1996 either but they all do now.

Its very sad.
I moved to the States in mid primary school and remember vividly the lockdown drill we did for intruders/armed. It completely terrified me. The only thing that made it palatable was that we also had a drill for what to do if a bear came on campus so I put them both in the same box of "things that will never happen" in my head.

It is sad but the reality we are living in; it is not as safe as it used to be.

I have a year 7 and a year 11 and this week was the first lockdown practice they have ever done, so it’s not standard practice everywhere

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/teen-boy-arrested-school-lockdown-34723906

This happened just 4 weeks ago.

What about at their dance class?

Children being prepared could save their lives. They aren't trained to cower. They are taught these drills in the same manner as fire drills. Not through fear.

It's not new - lockdown alarms and drills have been a thing since just before covid - so 5-6 years here. Suddenly came in from nowhere - not something that was around before.

I was not sure they were nessary at all - though recent new events locally and nationally maybe they are useful to have a plan and practise it.

Kids initially to hate them or not take them seriously and supply teahcers often ignore them but now they're just like fire drills occuring every so often and being background noise to their lives.

Though only time it's been used at their school- they had some expelled year 7 vandalising cars in school carpark next to school not even in the school building and it was mid morning so kids weren't likely to interact with them - so not sure why police were just called and normal day got on with - rather than disruption and multiple e-mails to parents.

Was on a thread saying similar few years ago - there posters were saying Teacher unions had been asking for them and there were suddenly lot of pro posters and few of who it emerged though course of thread worked for companies selling training round lock down drills.

Do drills make you worry a lot about the thing you’re doing a drill for? I didn’t do lockdown drills as a child but obviously we did fire drills - it didn’t cause me any undue worry and anxiety around the chance of a fire, and I wasn’t on constant high alert for it.

My kids do it on primary and secondary, it is part of the modern world. Much better than during my school years when we had to do bomb and gas attack drills, wear gas masks and be taught how to assemble a gun.

Not every school practises with the children, precisely because of concern about frightening them, but each school has a plan and at the very least teachers will have done drills to make sure they recognise the alarm, that internal doors' keys will turn in the lock, etc etc. Sadly this week has shown exactly why it is necessary.

Just thinking that I grew up in a dangerous city/country and don’t remember ever having these drills; however the dangers were more in the streets with drug guns than people trying to get into schools. I was let out to play on the streets and never got involved with the wrong crowds and knew how to keep safe.

Saying all that I am a bit paranoid with the kids so I guess it affected me

It’s due to become law that schools must have a procedure and practice it (under Martyn’s law).

Well it used to be what they children should do in the event of a nuclear disaster during the Cold War

and then what to do if air raid during 2WW

This is the modern day equivalent

It's not unusual at all. My school has had drills with and without pupils. We've had a number of lock down incidents, student with a knife, intruder on the grounds at risk of harming themselves etc. It's sad to think this is necessary but it is.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/school-lockdowns-can-traumatize-young-students-report-finds/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37489107/
Seems they might in USA - though stakes there are so much higher there and here they seem much more low key.

I suppose it's more worrying - though again it's usa - that kids who've experienced DV - or trauma of some sort could be impacted.

https://www.thetrace.org/2022/10/lockdown-drills-trauma-domestic-violence/

I would have thought though in UK school some kind of cost/risk/benefit evaluation must have been done - and thought it must be worth doing this.

What I find terrifying, as school staff, is that I've never found a school I couldn't get into, fast, with ease. I'm a fairly chunky and inflexible woman - padlock holes in fences make them a 2 step climb.

That, and that anyone with an interest in causing damage, will know well from the media that the kids are all under the tables in the classrooms...

I think of these things every lockdown practice and look around the classroom, working out my best method of incapacitating an angry bloke who has a weapon. I'll not have my kids hurt while I can still stand, so it's a termly reminder that one day I might need to choose between being a human shield and one to one combat.

They are worrying, but I'm glad we do them.

Doesn't happen in my DC's London (Zone 1) schools. One primary and the other is a very cenrally located Secondary. It doesn't happen the school my sister works at or the one the SiL teaches at.

Doesn't happen at any of the schools my [19] neices and nephews attend.

Doesn't happen at any if the schools my friends kids attend.

Where are these drills happening?

You'd be surprised. Last time I spoke about it with others, about a quarter had not heard of it and no one realised just how many died.

During lockdown drills in the previous school I worked in, they used to put a team together to try to get in so that any weaknesses could be found. It was usually made up of willing sixth formers and they found some amazing ways of accessing the site/buildings that never would have been found otherwise.

We've just had notification that our nursery will be doing this! How on earth they are going to talk about it in an 'age appropriate way' without terrifying them about something (even if they use the animal escaped lie) I have no idea. I'm worried we are in for nightmares to be honest.

That's not the point she's making. I'm sure most people are supportive of drills and other policies that keep their kids safe. It's possible to support the drills whilst still being horrified that we live in a world where this is something our children are at risk from. For that reason, I wouldn't describe myself as "delighted" about it either.

I don’t really get why it’s necessary tbh

We get training on it at work (university/college). Run, hide, tell.

Now I think about it, I remember my dad appearing outside my classroom door when I was about 8 with my PE kit as I’d forgotten it at home. From what I recall, there was zero security at school and anyone was able to walk through an unlocked gate. We lived in an extremely high crime area. This was late ‘80s though!

Why is this remotely terrifying? They are schools, not Alcatraz !