Help please! Terrorist drill @ holiday club!!

[Justtryingmybest123]

Hi everyone

Hope you're doing well and surviving the holidays!

I need some help please!!

I just completely flabbergasted!

My daughter attends a well known holiday club in the west midlands. Today she came home, extremely upset, distraught and distressed. She mentioned that they had a procedure called the 'lockdown'. She went onto say that basically if someone comes into the garden etc, they will announce it's a lockdown and you need to hide and ensure something is over your head so you can't be found. She is 5 years old and is part of the 5-7 group at the holiday club.

This evening she's been so upset and distraught about the whole thing, she didn't manage to cover her head, so was worried about that, asking what would happen in that situation, she's worried there will be a lockdown at home, the door shook because of the wind as the windows are open, she was scared because of that, and also would not go to sleep as she's scared something will happen.

Furthermore she absolutely loves this holiday club after trying a different one, and is extremely excited to go even when it's term time, now she's sooo worried and scared about going back as apparently there's going to be another lockdown.

I honestly don't know what to even say or think! My initial reaction is what the you know what! I didn't know anything about this, I wasn't informed, I didn't provide consent or anything! She's absolutely shook, scared and worried for her safety and that something may happen to her.

I know about the awful tragedy that did take place and sadly little girls lost their lives, without the details I guess this is as a prevention for something like that occuring, but having this sort of impact isn't the right answer, surely they need to let us know about this and get consent?

I've emailed, text and rang the club as I had to do something.

Any thoughts on the matter or advise would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

My children’s school did something like this last year. The amount of uproar on the parent’s WhatsApp group was rediculous. Personally I was glad that they are putting much needed measures in place to keep children safe. I’m more angry at the fact there is a need to do these sorts of drills in the first place. They didn’t used to be a thing, so clearly something has changed and schools and other childcare providers are following guidance on precautions they need to take. This is the world we live in now.

Did you think before asking that?

Children know what a fire is. They will have seen candles on birthday cakes, open fires, bbqs. They already know what it is. They know it is something they must respect and be careful around.

I hope the majority of children have never encountered something so terrifying that they must hide from it.

I think some kids do get more easily spooked than others. My dd when she was 7 or 8 had a fire drill at school, they had just moved into a new school building and it was the first one there. I'm not sure what it was about it but it really scared her and she was terrified of fire for years afterwards. We couldn't even light a candle in the house or she would freak out.

I don't think it was the schools fault in my dds case, she had had fire drills before this one just seemed to trigger something in her. Im not sure rushing to blame the school is the best thing to do in your place either. Concentrate on your dd and helping her instead.

Coming into their classroom and sitting quietly in the book corner while the teacher closes the blinds is hardly hiding in terror 😂
It's parents throwing around dramatics that scares children not calm teachers running a drill.

Closing the blinds and reading quietly in a corner is not the description the OP used.

And I doubt that is the reality either.

No we are in a little village and my daughter did them at primary, they had to use it one day when cows invaded the yard!

The OP also called it a 'terrorist drill' so I'm not convinced of their description of anything.

Having done lockdown drills in schools, I think the OPs description of a 'terrorist drill' is unlikely to have actually happened.

Do you think many kids relax with their library books while they are told a big dog is in the school.

The OP called it what is is presumably. A drill against something that causes terror.

No, i work at a primary school in rural West Wales and we do lockdown drill.

Equating a big dog on the playground with terrorism is fucking stupid.

The risk of being killed in a terrorist attack is miniscule. What is survival worth of you live in fear of unlikely horrors happening on a daily basis?

Why do you think it’s crazy?

My kids go to school in the suburbs and have never done one either.

Just asked my teen in case who confirmed the only drill in primary was the fire drill when they all stood in the middle of the yard.

Our state comprehensive school
did their first ever lockdown drill last academic year. Parents were told in advance.

Your dd’s holiday club sounds a bit it in their explanation ad expectations of 5 year olds and I refuting advising the parents in advance of the practice happening would have been a good idea.

I agree.

These poor kids are going to grow up fearful of everything. So much for carefree childhoods…

It was the OP who called it a terrorist drill. You are agreeing that is fucking stupid.

Lockdowns on the other hand are like fire drills, and yet people don't end up fearful of everything setting on fire.

Sometimes you need to get everyone out of a building for safety, sometimes you need to get them into the building for safety.

everyone that has lockdown drills as normal at primary school - are you all in the UK? I knew and understand why this is a very sadly needed thing in the US - but I didn’t realise these drills happened in the UK?! My reaction would of been the same as you OP XX

We had protect and survive drills in the 70s because hiding under a desk would stop us from being irradiated ☢️

Children probably first did lockdown around 2010, the same time that the schools had proper fences and gates around the schools.

I don't suppose dogs ever attack children . . . Ffs

Lockdown or invacuation procedures and drills are recommended for all schools and childcare provision. They’ve done several at DDs primary school and they handle them really well. The teachers make it into a game where the kids all need to hide and the headteacher creeps around the corridors and in through the doors hamming it up trying to find them like it’s hide and seek.

they’ve also had to lock down in reality because some idiots decided to fly drones with cameras around the school playground and around the windows and when a big dog got loose and was running around the playground getting distressed.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67ed54d298b3bac1ec299be5/Protective_security_and_preparedness_for_education_settings_guidance.pdf#page22

Crossed wires.

I was replying to somebody saying equating it with a big dog was stupid.

The OP is correct isn’t she? The holiday club and (some schools) are doing these to protect against an act of terror. Call it what it is.

My school has had actual lockdowns. Most teachers I know, their schools have also had actual lockdowns. Not because of an active shooter or terrorists that people seem to automatically jump to as the reason for these drills but for things like 'Aggressive parent coming onto site without permission' or 'rumour of child coming onto site with a knife'. These things happen more often than people might think because it's not newsworthy and are worth planning for.

No, they are not doing it to prepare against an act of terror. Terrorism is one of the least likely things to cause a lockdown.

Ok well that very much depends on the school’s location then.

It’s done in rough areas.