Lockdown drill

[mrsglowglow]

We've been informed that our school will in the next couple of days be having a lockdown drill. Is this the norm now in our primary schools? Have another child in high school and all trips to central London cancelled until further notice. The reality of the times.

Those of you who have the drills, are you in large cities?

No

It's sensible, really. There's a primary school in teesside on lockdown because of someone running amok with a knife. It's not just terrorism that they need to be prepared for.

MrsPeely that was my point. We haven't had active shooters so training children to hide under tables is pointless. I'm not even sure what the point is if there is a shooter since a table won't protect you and there aren't enough places to hide anyway. Many children don't know to keep quiet so it is again pointless.

Making sure that schools are secure isn't a lock down. Checking ID and ensuring children go home with the correct adult isn't a lock down. Ensuring there is an evacuation plan, even separate from a fire drill isn't a lock down.

A drill to make sure children can be evacuated from the yard quickly and moved safely inside is probably worth it. However, I am unconvinced that duck and cover is of any use outside an active shooter senario.

Ok, so it's been updated to false reports of a man with a knife
www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/primary-school-put-lockdown-after-13163409?ref=BNTMedia&utm_medium=twitter

I feel better somehow that it's not just a big city thing. It's a useful drill to have for various scenarios.

Rural market town, not big city

Our head teacher went to some training for this a couple of months ago so I think it's been rolled out by most councils where it isn't already.
I do remember having them in the 90s when I was at school but they were signalled by an intermittent sounding of the fire bell. That doesn't work in most modern schools as it would automatically unlock all of the doors.

It takes a lot of careful thinking about. E.g. Procedures for if something happens when children are outside playing and need to be got inside quickly.
Children are great at following procedures when they are clear and set out in advance and it's so important considering current events.

No, small market town.

DD1s primary school has been doing them for at least 5 years. I was freaked out when she first mentioned it but no more alarming to the children than a fire drill. Sad that it is necessary though.

No small market town school on edge. No hiding under tables here, children moved into school cellars.

Soapbox, my point was that we live with an increased level of security anyway because of circumstances and a lock down in nothing more than extension of them.

I am unconvinced that duck and cover is of any use outside an active shooter senario

Im not sure you understand what a lock down is. Its certainly more than duck and cover.

Im also not sure what the point is of continuing with this either. I think its one of those conversations that will go round and round in circles and I have a flight to catch.

Thanks all, so it seems each school/authority decides on its own policy and procedures. I'd never heard of it in the UK until now but from your responses many schools have been doing them for some time.

I was talking to someone with a child the same age as DC3 who was saying the school (same 'average' town as me) she goes to recently had a lock down drill.
The kids were told it was incase of an aggressive dog entering the playground. All doors and windows were locked/shut, the blinds closed and the children had to sit on the floor DN remain quiet.

MrsPeely I think you need to read up on the range of things a 'lock down drill' can cover. That's why I made reference to different scenarios in my post.

Rural market town, not big city

That's two of you not in cities. Which is good in a way. It's not something being done at the suggestion of the Met for example.

We have a lock down drill where I work. And practice it regularly. It's a shelter on site drill. So its not just intruders, but say if there was a major accident on the main road that runs right next to our school and it was safer to be inside and not see.

The doors get locked, the curtains closed and the children gather to hear a story in each classroom.

Locally a school used it when a man appeared brandishing a knife in a custody battle, during the killer clown phase when a clown appeared at school and at my sons school a mental health patient was having a psychotic episode and tried to climb over the gates (he was naked)

I'm a bit surprised there are schools that don't have a procedure but maybe it's just they don't mention they are practicing it.

I teach at a small fairly rural independent primary with nursery and preschool attached. Lockdown has been happening at our school for several years now. It's good practice to have this procedure in all schools now, just like firedrill. We use different scenarios - that staff know, but children don't, and work through the whole scene until we are given the all clear. Happens about twice a year. Children are just fine as they are when we do fire drill. Parents are always emailed directly after it has happened so they can discuss it with their children if they have questions. We also do emergency evacuations off site - which was introduced after all the bomb scares occurred in schools last year.

My daughters' school had a real lockdown last term. The police were chasing a fugitive and he managed to get into the school grounds. All students kept indoors and not allowed to move to their next lesson until the coast was clear. So it's not just about terrorists.

Also its not true that we've never had a school shooting in the UK. Dunblane, 1996.

We have a lockdown policy and procedure that all staff are aware of. It's been in place for roughly 2 years. We don't do drills for lockdown, however, as it would unnecessarily distress many of our children. Fire and evacuations drills are done termly though.

Soapboxqueen

"In the US they do this because of active shooters which we haven't had here in the UK (touch wood)"

What happened in Dunblane Primary 21 years ago wasn't an active shooter?

Isn't it because of bears?

Ive not heard of lock-down procedures at the school I work at.

Although we have numerous security doors and fences, if someone was determined enough...I don't see how we coul even do it as the school is not a compact unit, it is quite spread out with lots of long corridors.(1950's)
We could all hide in the classroom store cupboards, at a push?

I think it would panic our kids...we get tears when we practise fire drill.

Why do you get tears at fire drills Jam? Don't the school set them in proper context?

I worked at a very posh Central london girls' school about 10 years ago and we had a lockdown procedure then. I remember doing drills for that as well as fire drills. We also have recently introduced lock down at my current school.