POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE LOCKDOWN OF THE SCHOOL

1 Introduction

1.1Lockdown procedures should be seen as a sensible and proportionate response to any external or internal incident which has the potential to pose a threat to the safety of staff and pupils in the school. Procedures should aim to minimise disruption to the learning environment whilst ensuring the safety of all pupils and staff.

1.2Incidents that would require these lockdown procedures to take place include, but are not limited to:

  • A reported incident / civil disturbance in the local community (with the potential to pose a risk to staff and pupils in the school)
  • An intruder on the school site (with the potential to pose a risk to staff and pupils)
  • A warning being received regarding a risk locally, of air pollution (smoke plume,

gas cloud etc)

  • A major fire in the vicinity of the school
  • The close proximity of a dangerous dog roaming loose

1.3Certain members of staff have key roles during an evacuation and these will be outlined in a separate section.

1.4 Links to the UN Rights of the Child

Article 3

The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all things

that affect children.

Article 6

Every child has the right to life. Governments must do all they

can to make sure that children survive and develop to their full

potential.

Article 19

Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are

protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad

treatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them.

Article 36

Governments must protect children from all other forms of bad

treatment.

2 Principles

2.1To signal to all pupils, staff and visitors that a lockdown is to take place, the fire alarm will sound intermittently. This may be due to a blue call point being operated by persons observing a cause for lockdown or at the request of The Responsible Person.

2.2All new staff members are advised on these procedures on induction and visitors are advised upon arrival after signing in to the visitor’s book. Lockdown drills are held, when possible, every term at different periods during the day.

3 Standard lockdown procedure

3.1Pupils who are outside of the school buildings are brought inside as quickly as

Possible to the nearest room (not necessarily their own classroom), unless this endangers them and others. If pupils cannot make entry to the buildings they should be escorted by the adult in charge to:

St. Johns C.E. Primary School

Crescent Road

Friern Barnet

London N11 3LB

3.2 All those inside the school should remain in their rooms. This includes office staff, non class based teaching staff and kitchen staff.

3.3 All external classroom doors and, as necessary, windows are locked and internal room doors are to be blocked with furniture if possible. All blinds or curtains must be drawn and lights switched off.

3.4 All persons occupying any rooms are encouraged to seek shelter under tables or any other such furniture. Pupils are to shelter around the edges of their rooms if possible. Those occupying the Nursery should move to their carpeted areas and draw the curtains. Any persons in shared areas should move as quickly as possible to the nearest classroom.

3.5 Adults should encourage any children in their care to remain calm and quiet.

3.6 As appropriate, the school office will establish communication with the

Emergency Services and notify London Borough of Barnet.

3.7 Parents will be notified as soon as it is practicable to do so via text messaging. Pupils will not be released to parents during a lockdown

3.8 Nobody should attempt to leave the room they are occupying until given the all clear by a designated member of staff or the emergency services

3.9 If it is necessary to evacuate the building, the fire alarm will be sounded and the normal evacuation procedures will be followed

4 Evacuations at defined times of the school day

4.1Due to the fact that schools daily routines are diverse in their nature, and that pupil, staff and visitors are not in one place all day every day, the standard procedures are then adjusted for lockdowns during:

  • Assemblies
  • Lunchtime and break time

4.2Assemblies

  • Assemblies are held in both the main hall and dining hall. The member of staff leading the dining hall assembly will direct pupils to the classrooms located off of the dining hall, if it is safe to do so, and initiate the usual lockdown procedures
  • The member of staff leading the main hall assembly will ensure the fire exit doors are closed and the curtains drawn. They will also endeavour to have some of the PE equipment moved to block the internal door and direct pupils to remain seated and quiet.

4.3Lunchtime and Break time

  • Members of staff will be allocated tables which they are responsible for in the event of a lockdown. Part of the dining hall will enter Pine class, part in Chestnut and the rest in Poplar class if it is safe to do so. These rooms will then carry out the usual lockdown procedures.
  • Pupils in the infant playground will be lead into the nursery building and/or Elm class and initiate the specific lockdown procedures for those parts of the building.
  • Pupils in both junior playgrounds and the ball area will be lead into the junior building classrooms if it is possible and safe to do so. These rooms will then carry out the usual lockdown procedures.
  • During ‘wet play’ members of staff must go from room to room in their allocated areas telling pupils to carry out the lockdown procedure. Once all their designated rooms have initiated lockdown they should enter the last room in their allocated area and remain there until given the all clear. Staff in the junior building should come down from the staffroom.

5 Roles and responsibilities

5.1The Responsible Person

5.1.1The Responsible Person is in overall control and ‘responsible for’ the school and its patrons at the time of the lockdown. This is the role of the Head Teacher unless absent when his/her assigned deputy will assume control.

5.1.2The Responsible Persons role in a lockdown is to:

  • ensure to the best of their knowledge and ability the safety of all pupils, staff and visitors
  • assist with the supervision of any pupils in their immediate vicinity
  • liaise with all members of staff who have key roles in a lockdown where possible
  • collate information from members of staff and take any action necessary based on that information if possible
  • liaise with the emergency services

5.2School Business Manager

5.2.1The School Business Manager is in charge of the administrative affairs of the school and their role is reflected in this.

5.2.2The School Business Managers role is to:

  • Call emergency services and if necessary/possible local authority
  • Remove and secure the hard drives containing school information
  • Ensure that those in the office and foyer area are secured and ‘in lockdown’
  • Liaise with The Responsible Person

5.3Site Manager

5.3.1The Site Manager is in charge of all Health & Safety aspects and maintenance of the school buildings and site.

5.3.2The Site Managers role is to:

  • Ensure that those areas in his/her immediate vicinity are ‘in lockdown’ and that all external doors in his/her immediate vicinity are locked if safe to do so
  • Only if it is safe and possible to do so to move to the front entrance of the school to await the arrival of the emergency services
  • Liaise with the emergency services to provide all pertinent information
  • Liaise with The Responsible Person via mobile phone
  • In the event of an entire evacuation of the school grounds to remain with the emergency services if required

6 Following a lockdown

6.1After any lockdown, the Responsible Person and the Site Manager will review and evaluate the lockdown, gathering the views of the staff

6.2A summary of the lockdown will be submitted to Governors in the Headteacher’s Termly Report, and more detailed discussions will be tabled at Premises Committee meetings.

7 Summary

7.1It is impossible to predict the exact form or effect of an emergency that could facilitate a lockdown. Therefore we have attempted to keep to a simple procedure which can be adapted to any circumstances that may arise.

8 Monitoring

8.1It is the responsibility of the Governing Body to monitor the effective deployment of this policy. This responsibility has been delegated to the Premises Committee.

8.2 This policy will be reviewed annually.

Document Control

Revision History

Version / Revision Date / Revised By / Revision
1.0 / Autumn 2014 / Simon Reid, Fiona Quinton & Pelham / Created in response to governor request and advice and in light of local, national and international events
1.1 / Autumn 2014 / Govs Premises / Revised
1.2 / Summer 2015 / Ann Pelham / Revised in light of first drill in school
1.2 / October 2015 / Govs Premises / Revised

Signed by

Name / Signature / Date
Headteacher / Ann Pelham
Chair of Governors / Andrew Ballam Davies

Distribution

Shared with
  • Staff via school server
  • Staff via weekly briefings
  • Staff via lockdown drill de brief
  • Parents via Website
  • Governors via committee meetings

Date for next review
Autumn 2016