School lockdown procedures - is this happening everywhere?

[HappyMum123456]

We've received information from DDs school about lockdown procedures and upcoming practise drills. She's in year 6. Is this happening everywhere? I would have lost the plot when I was her age but thankfully she's way more resilient. I've spoken to her and given the example of a dog sneaking into the school grounds (so as not to cause her any alarm) but she's come home today talking about intruders and guns which I'm assuming has come from other kids rather than the teachers.

A bit like you my school is also very rural. We haven’t got fences round the site, anyone could get in any time (our site is linked to the village church which is obviously always open).
Yes, risks are lower. But they aren’t completely absent so we do lockdown practice.
We do the dog story, but it’s based on the not very friendly farm dog who does drift into the playground every now and again so the kids believe it (we’ve done it for real because of him too).

For the older ones who question why we stay away from windows, we talk about the air ambulance and how it would land in our field but we know the older residents of our village wouldn’t want us watching, and we don’t want to see them in pain/distress, so it’s our way of giving them privacy. They buy that!

It's the teachers I feel sorry for. It must be very sobering practicing and wondering to yourself whether you'll ever have to put it into practice to try to protect 30 children single handedly from someone on the rampage.

no, you wouldn’t necessarily be told, just like they don’t tell you if they’re doing a Fire Drill. They don’t need to.

We started this last year in my school...not quite sure how it's supposed to work though, as unlike some schools, our actual classrooms don't have doors that lock! We have nowhere to hide other than under tables...so clearly any
intruder would have a field day! They'd simply walk in and find 30+ children staring at them from underneath desks!! The adults had to stand behind the bloody flip chart! So all that was hidden was our torso and head...legs fully on display 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

On the flip side...friend of mine teaches in a brand new school 3 miles away, and they have electric shutters and doors - all lockable from a central point as well as by a thumb screw on the door. These shutters are on all the glass windows (both external and internal) and they have big 'corridor shutters' at various points along the corridors, that can isolate areas if required. All very 'hi-tech'.

@twentysevendresses why not block the door with a desk, or does it open outwards?

Re the kids talking about it... DDs Secondary school evacuated due to a science experiment error this week. It was only when I asked they told me... I heard the siren at home.

Odd, my kids never has this. They are in secondary now but they were at a Jewish primary school which actually, sadly, has more reason than most to fear attack, but they never had drills there.

My classroom doesn't have a door at all...just an arch into the corridor. Next door classroom has a sliding (concertina style) door. It's a conundrum 🤦‍♀️

The classrooms at our primary don’t have a door, they’re open plan.