School Lockdown Procedures and Terminology

LOCKDOWN September 2023

Understanding the Terminology There are a lot of terms in common use today that tend to complicate rather than clarify. Some you will be familiar with, some you may not and some have not even made it into the dictionary yet. This first section seeks to de-mystify these terms and establish a phraseology that will be used throughout this PowerPoint.

INTRUDER A person who is seen, or suspected to be on site at the school without authorisation. An intruder in this context differs from a burglar or vandal, because their intrusion is at a time when the school is wholly or partially occupied. The person may or may not have a hostile intent, but if unauthorised they would likely be trespassing. INCURSION An incursion is an unauthorised entry by a person or persons that incorporates an illegal entry, then damage to the school or hurt to staff or students. This could include attempts to assault or abduct specific or random victims.

SECURE PERIMETER This is a perimeter line of fencing or walls, broken only by secure entry points. Children in schools should be inside the secure perimeter. The perimeter may include playing fields or outbuildings. This is the first line of security but due to the layout and circumstances of the school, it is common for the Secure Perimeter to be unable to deter even a modest attempt to enter the school. Many schools, particularly rural schools or those divided by a road or public right of way; do not have a Secure Perimeter. If there is no Secure Perimeter, or if it is weak, then the Internal Secure Line must be doubly robust. INTERNAL SECURE LINE (ISL) This is a perimeter security line that is established on the entry points (doors and windows) of school buildings and does not include external areas. The Internal Secure Line will be explained more fully, later in this module

LOCKDOWN The practice of securing a school s Internal Secure Line, restricting non-essential internal movement within the school and securing some internal access points, following receipt of a signal, message, whistle, tone or bell that differs from a fire alarm, or bomb threat alarm.

EMERGENCIES THAT MAY LEAD TO LOCKING DOWN A SCHOOL During an emergency, there may be distinct advantages to securing a perimeter at school. There may be good reasons why your pupils and staff should stay inside, rather than be outside Severe Weather Dangerous Dog or other animal Air pollution/or chemical leak Student acting dangerously Suspicious person observed Intruder on site Incursion or hostile incursion

REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN INTRUDER OR INCURSION INCIDENT Careful planning and logical measures to prevent an incident is infinitely preferable to managing an incident and its aftermath. The impact of an incursion can be shattering, yet some relatively straightforward measures can reduce the chances of it happening. There are simple measures that we should consider that will dramatically reduce the likelihood of an incident that could necessitate a Lockdown. These can be distilled into three areas. Understanding the threat Security and access Vigilance

UNDERSTANDING THE THREAT The chance of an attack on a school is negligible. However, as has been mentioned before, the impact might be momentous. It is sensible therefore to develop a clear understanding of the potential incidents that could happen at our school. Currently there is an extremely low risk of a Hostile Incursion in a school. What is more likely is a lone intruder, probably unarmed, who comes onto the school site with the intention of causing damage, verbally or physically attacking a student or member of staff or possibly looking to abduct a pupil or student. Most of these situations can be managed by a prompt Lockdown and immediate call to the Police.

SECURITY AND ACCESS Maintaining the integrity of the Secure Perimeter and the Internal Secure Line goes a long way to reducing the possibility of an incident. Security is the responsibility of all staff and should be included as part of a teacher s preparation each day. It takes seconds to ensure that a door that should be locked, is locked.

VIGILANCE We need to ensure a culture of sensitive and low key, but continuous and visible vigilance. This can be facilitated without any disruption to the learning of the students or pupils. Vigilance should be everyone s task, but the key is to embed practices without causing alarm, or it taking away from the reasons why staff and children are in school. YOU are your primary line of defence. All of us come into the school every day. We see the same things in the same places every day, therefore more likely to see when something is different, out of the ordinary or just plain wrong. If you see something that doesn t look right, don t ignore it. Report it.

REDUCING THE IMPACT OF AN INTRUDER OR INCURSION INCIDENT Measures to reduce the impact, if an incident does happen Preparedness Planning Design out obstacles Practice drills Any drill should be taught simply and without any extraneous detail. The aim of an evacuation drill is for all adults and young people to egress the building speedily, but without panic. A good principle is for any drill to focus on what , "where" & how rather than why or when . The responsible adult (usually a member of the teaching staff) is the person who needs to know why and when, whereas the students/pupils only really need to know what they have to do, where they have to go and how they should do it.

IMPLEMENTATION OF LOCKDOWN A School Lockdown is designed to do only two things. Keep danger outside the Internal Secure Line (ISL) or Safe Room, away from adults and young people Keep adults and young people inside the ISL or Safe Room, away from danger It is important to state at the outset that the Lockdown is not designed to assist or facilitate the capture of the intruder. It is designed to keep adults and young people safe until the danger is passed.

OUR LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE The code word SLEEPING LIONS will initiate Lockdown. What to do when a Lockdown alert is received: During a Lockdown, the teaching staff have a role to maintain normality where possible. Secure any windows & doors, and draw blinds or curtains Sit the children on the carpet area in the room. Take the register. Read a story. Keep as quiet as possible. Do not open doors or raise curtains or blinds,

STAFF TEACHING OUTSIDE (INVACUTION PROCEDURE) On hearing the notification to Lockdown A CONTINOUS WHISTLE, the teaching staff and children must abandon the lesson/play and run inside the Internal Secure Line. Don t stop to pick up clothing or equipment, just get inside. Lockdown can be frightening for some young people but exciting for others. Both fear and excitement need to be contained.

STEPPING DOWN FROM LOCKDOWN STAGE WAKEUP LIONS will be used to de-escalate a Lockdown. The code will be given by a member of SLT (familiar voice) Once the signal has been heard, staff should begin to move children back into the learning environment by providing reassurance and simple instructions.

ACTION AT THE END OF THE DAY Where a Lockdown has been initiated, parents will be understandably anxious and a few words from teachers can make all the difference. It is usually best to say less, until the Police say otherwise or the school publishes a full statement/press release. A debriefing will be held immediately after the children have gone home. The Executive Headteacher will need to consolidate all available information into a single report for the Governing Body. If there was Police involvement, then they will likely need a lot more information including detailed statements. Parents will be notified by letter or email if possible.