At the Community College we take safeguarding and safety very seriously. It is important that we continue to review all our procedures, taking into account even those events that are very unlikely to occur. As part of this process, we have a procedure called “lockdown”. The need to use this procedure is rare, to put this into context in the last 6 years the school has only needed to implement this procedure once.

We will be practicing this procedure on Thursday 6th November.

 What is a lockdown and when would we carry it out?

A lockdown procedure is a standard health and safety procedure, similar to a fire drill.

Our lockdown procedure would be used when there is a threat to the safety of pupils, staff and others in the school, and when it is safer for everyone to remain in school than evacuate. The aim is to keep people safe by confining them to a secure place of safety.

Situations where our lockdown procedure may be used include:

  • A potentially dangerous person or animal on the school site.
  • A disturbance or dangerous situation in the local community that could affect the school.
  • A nearby chemical incident or other risk of air pollution.
  • An incident related to terrorism.

 Our procedure

Our lockdown procedure is active and dependent on if it is a partial lockdown or a full lockdown.

The standard processes are as follows:

  • Staff and students will be informed of the lockdown.
  • Students will remain in their classrooms, or nearest classroom, under the supervision of the staff present.
  • All students will be accounted for using classroom registers and communication via the internal telephone system.
  • The school will make sure that students are safe and secure by securing doors and windows, and drawing blinds.
  • The emergency services will be called.

Instructions for parents in the event of a lockdown

  • Parents will be informed that the school is in lockdown e.g. via school text or the school’s website
  • Parents should not attempt to call or come to the school, as this may hinder the school’s effort to contact and work with the emergency services
  • Parents should refrain from discussing the event on social media, as this may spread false information and create panic
  • Students will be instructed not to use mobile phones during a lockdown
  • If the lockdown continues beyond school hours, any changes to collection procedures will be notified via ParentPay text and the website.

Prior to our drill, students will have the lockdown procedures explained to them. This should help reassure students after the drill that they are safe, and will emphasise that practicing procedures like this will make sure the school remains a safe place to learn.

I must stress again this is simply a practice, so that in the unlikely event of such a situation, our students and staff are fully prepared.

If you or your child have any further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.