School Lockdown: Department for Education issues draft guidance on School Security
DfE seeking views on proposals for School Security guidance and suggest considering the introduction of lockdown procedures
For the first time, the Department for Education has collated guidance in a draft document for schools to refer to when considering the safety and security of pupils and staff.
This resource has been gathered from various organisations, including NaCTSO (the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, the Home Office, the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel and the Health and Safety Executive. It includes suggested responses to a range of events such as terrorist attacks, knife crime and floods.
Creation of a centralised resource comes after pressure from teaching unions to provide coherent guidance on issues such as lockdown.
On the subject of Lockdown, the document states, “Where significant risk is identified a school should review its existing measures and where necessary update them. For example, a school may wish to review its Invacuation/Evacuation procedures and consider whether to introduce Dynamic Lockdown Procedures in order to help manage an increased level of risk.”
The DfE have invited responses to their draft ‘School Security Non Statutory Guidance’ document from Education professionals, which can be submitted during the consultation period running until 18th February 2019. Following this, it is expected that they will publish new school security guidance taking into account feedback received.
Nick Gibb, School Standards Minister, commented, “Our schools are safe places and thankfully serious incidents are extremely rare. It is, nevertheless, important that schools remain vigilant and prepare for potential risks.
“This proposed guidance will help schools to identify such risks and how to ensure measures are put in place to prevent or mitigate the effect of incidents occurring, whether that is a terrorist attack, knife crime or other dangerous threats.”
Bodet’s Lockdown Alert System can produce a range of customisable alerts so your pupils and staff know exactly how to respond in any emergency situation. By having clear and effective communication systems installed alongside robust lockdown and evacuation procedures, schools can be certain they are doing all they can to ensure the safety of staff and students.
If you would like a demonstration to see how our Lockdown Alert System can be tailored for the specific needs of your school, please contact us.
