Have your children experienced lockdown at there schools?

[ironman]

My friend called me tonight, apparently at her daughters school they had a lockdown drill. The classroom doors were locked, and children had to turn the tables on there sides to protect themselves. Apparently this has been ordered by the government. From my look on the internet it also happened in a school in the North of England.

If there is a terrorist threat to schools, shouldn't the government let the public know? I find it absolutely terrifying! Any other schools been in 'lockdown'?

We practice a lockdown at our school. Doors bolted, curtains closed, children under tables. It's all very exciting!

Practise.

Sounds like more of a drill for random gun-toting nutters to me. Horrible thought.

My dd's school do a lock down practice every half term (she just had one yesterday).

damefanny. This is a drill for the threat of Islamist terrorists. My god what sort of country do we live in! Apparently South Bedfordshire council has procedures for 'lockdown' in place. If the government know of a threat to schools and children in them, shouldn't the public know?

Rightinthekisser. It would not be 'very exciting' if terrorists broke into the school and murdered the staff and children would it?

I'm in South Beds. Not heard of this, but my dds are in pre school.

Never in the UK. When we lived in the US (it was for a very short time, only two years), they did about one each term. Here (London) it has never happened. I've not even heard of them doing lockdown drills here, in actual fact.

Is it a specific drill for each religion then?

We had these at school (I left high school 9 yrs ago). it was to do with threat of violence towards teachers or pupils not terrorism. Sometimes rival gangs from other school would come into the school with weapons. There was also a gypsy traveller camp nearby and some boys would shout abuse at them so they would come to the school to chase/find/hurt them .

I've never heard of this. My school didn't even go into lockdown when there was a real reason for it to have been appropriate.

Happened at our local comp last year when an idiot student pulled a fake gun in the carpark. Very scared other pupil reported it, police called and full lockdown. The kids were texting parents who tried to turn up but were cordoned off.

Idiot pupil produced fake gun and was arrested but let off with a warning.

Surprisingly Ironman we tend to dress it up a little for the children and I can assure you it is VERY exciting.

And where on earth have you got terrorists from? Unfortunately there are some unstable people about and a lockdown is the quickest way to keep everyone safe.

I work in a setting that has a lockdown drill. It's not for "Islamic terrorists" but for things like - an abusive parent gaining access to the grounds, dogs or out of control animals, gas/chemical leaks in the vicinity.

A terrorist or gun toting maniac gaining access is pretty much the least likely event!

We've had the emergency procedures training at school (staff) - including threat of terrorist attack. Never had a practise though.

longdistance. The procedure is on www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

My dcs practice this drill at school and they dress it up for the primary kids as a game of hide and seek (although we live in the us and all schools do I there). Better to be safe than sorry....

DSs school had one a year ago. He totally freaked me out by sending me a text which read 'we are being attacked by terrorists'!

I had to make DH ring the school to check that it was only a drill , must have been convincing.

My school used to be next to an RAF base and we had some very clever bomb hoaxes that were verified by police as using known code words from a certain terrorist group. Several times the school was evacuated because of them but we were always told it was a fire drill or the boiler was broken and all the school buses were here to take us home. Only after did we find out the reason. Unless there is a real threat of bombs/mad man with gun it seems strange to practise lockdown and make the kids feel unsafe at school.

Ironman - could you post a direct link, I have had a look at the website and cannot find the policy.

Thanks

My DS's school had a lockdown when a former pupil phoned in a threat to come and shoot people. The boys were taken to the sports hall and had to leave their mobile phones with teachers. They used the sports hall as it has no windows. They had lunch bought to them and were shown DVD's to keep them occupied. I was, coincidentally, dropping something off at the school and it was a bit of a shock to find armed police on all the entrances, a helicopter above and to not be allowed in. The pupils found it exciting to start with and then rather boring. The school and police handled it well I thought. Updates were texted/emailed to parents.

rightinthekisser. Of course it's for terrorists, to my knowledge we have not had a Dunblane incident for 20 years, although of course there are other nutters out there!

You may have dressed it up for the children, but don't you think secondary school children know whats going on? It's not exciting for the parents or anyone else. It's just a sign of times, of the horrible world we now live in.
My friends daughter thought it exciting as well, as she tipped her table up, but then she is only 12!

Eton school was targeted by terrorists, these charmers were going to shoot people on an open day, the police stopped the attack as they have in many parts of the country, not just schools.

Looks like there is a Central Beds pdf about it here

In our part of Canada they have lockdown drills a couple of times a year. The kids sit under their desks and get to eat what the school calls "lock down candy". The kids think its great....

We wrote our lockdown policy the other day because of a very scary local incident involving an escaped gunman. The policy is for any emergency situation and you are being an idiot, not to mention scaremongering, to insist it must be in case of Islamic terrorism.