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.

Just to add that there was a precise instruction in place for disabled children - a designated member of staff had to stay with each.

I’m not convinced that doing this is proportionate to the risk - given how unlikely some of these scenarios are and some of the controls already in place. I’m also not convinced that the range of scenarios you’d be prepping kids for - according to this thread anything from active shooter to nuclear disaster to loose animals would be dealt with in the same way. An angry parent has to be significantly more likely than an active shooter but the response wouldn’t actually be the same would it?

You’re weighing up damaging children’s MH and frankly, influencing their perception of what is likely in favour of protecting them in an extremely unlikely
scenario. I’m not sure id support it when my children go to school.

Oh I completely disagree @Doobeedoobeedoobee . Does it damage the children's MH to have a fire drill? Or to learn to swim and how to float in case of emergency?

My older DS has autism and as it happens he is completely paranoid about fires. To the point we have to blow out candles when we go to restaurants because he starts to shake at the mere sight of the flame.

He still needs to know what a fire drill is, and manages to cope with that.

It's not always for the reason you think though- my daughter had to be locked into the school as there was an agitated cow charging around the school field- they needed the kids inside and quickly.

They had already practiced it and all children were removed to safety very quickly.

Yeah they did them in my primary in London from 1996 onwards.

I remember we all planted a memorial garden after Dunblane happened, and then it was from that point onwards that we started having the drills.

My daughter (year 6) has them on a pretty regular basis, it’s definitely depressing, but necessary. I am so grateful that her school runs these drills and try to keep her (and the others) as safe as possible.

x

An angry parent has to be significantly more likely than an active shooter but the response wouldn’t actually be the same would it?

Stay out of sight in classrooms with the door locked?

Yep - at my DDs too primary and secondary - quite detailed in what they had to do.
it never particularly bothered her. I was grateful she knew what to do and the school was looking after her. I think they’re less bothered than the parents. X

I was thinking along similar lines. I remember we had lessons in school (1980s) that covered being prepared for a nuclear attack, and further back there was the old 'duck and cover' thing in the USA. This sort of dark stuff sadly isn't new.

It does feel hugely depressing, though, I agree, that we're having to teach kids what to do if a maniac breaks into their school, which should be a place of safety. But things being what they are, imo it's reassuring that it is being covered.

genuinely don’t think k the kids are bothered. And if there is an incident you will be grateful your kid knows what to do. They will pick up on your worry about - it’s practised like hide and seek especially when they’re little .

We did drills for bombs and intruders at our high school, possibly because we were near a local airbase and there’s a nuclear plant near (ish) so maybe based on threat level? We didn’t see it any different to a fire drill at the time, that was late 90s/00s and they still do them at the local schools now.

I live very rurally and all the schools locally have them. My DC’s schools have had them but I didn’t realise at first as they never mentioned it, until one day they told me about hiding under the table. In their heads it was associated with the fire drill but was a special drill with extras to remember.

Practising helps prepare the children, allows them to ask questions afterwards (one asked about the toilet) and identifies any weak points in the school or in the process.

I’m in Southport, of course it’s necessary

I’m in Southport, we didn’t think anything would happen here until it did

How often are UK schools evacuated due to a swarm of bees or escaped zoo animal? It needs to be proportionate in order not to frighten the children - there's enough school anxiety as it is. Teaching them how to respond to the fire alarm and some basic first aid is a good idea and applicable to situations outside of school.

My DC was locked down last year (year 7). Unfortunately, she witnessed the intruders. When she said they had to make themselves into a little ball under their desks, I really felt for her. She said she felt cold and she was shivering (I think she was nervous) and the intruders had balaclavas on. They were arrested.
Its can be a horrible world.

Jewish schools have US-style gunman practices all the time.

Other schools don’t expect gunman but it’s good to have kids prepared for incidents as a learning point anyway and are more likely to have an angry dad etc

Exactly, I reckon plenty of people saying “my child’s school don’t do it” are just oblivious, and it is actually happening. Often kids don’t think anything of it so don’t mention at home, and the school doesn’t communicate it to parents, either.

Yes, I agree its disturbing we need to to this. I feel that something is seriously wrong with our society.
( I think G. Neufeld, the psychologist, has explained why)

Lived near Broadmoor when I was young - had drills at school, lived in fear of the siren going off. Not sure if it still goes off at 10am on a Monday morning.
My kids have lockdown drills at school, doesn’t seem to bother them. Unfortunately guns are increasingly easy to get hold of in the UK

Think of it like a fire drill. All schools do these, but very few have to evacuate due to a real fire.

When I was a kid, I went to British forces schools in Germany. We had school security procedures and anti terrorism policies. Indeed, a kid lost their bag and when it got found it got destroyed by the bomb disposal squad (in case someone dodgy put a bomb in it).

It's probably already been said but we used to have tons of bomb scares at school in the late 60s? /early 70s. As a kid you kind of just get on with it after the first couple.

This hits close to home.

I'm from Germany and in 2009 I visited a friend who received mental health treatment in a hospital. On that day a horrible school shooting happened only a few hundred metres away from the hospital and the whole town, including the hospital, went into lockdown for several hours.

Many children, teachers and pedestrians that were unlucky to come across the shooter as he was fleeing lost their life on this day:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnenden_school_shooting

I still am traumatised to this day by what happened.

It's very rare for this to happen, but I was, although indirectly, affected by it.

I think it's good that schools do drills in case there is an intruder. It's best to be prepared.

Then their kids just didn’t tell them.
At primary it is described as ‘if an animal gets into school etc’.

Of course it’s sad that the world is not perfectly safe, but I’m grateful schools do this.
Different mindset.

There is no other point.
The world is terrible, yes. Schools are keeping kids safe - excellent.