Letter to Parents and Carers: Information regarding Emergency Procedure

Dear Parents and Carers,

The safety of your child and all children in our school, as well as the safety of the school staff and visitors is very important to us.  In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to study and learn, it is necessary that we practise our emergency and crisis response plans.

To ensure that the academy continues to be a safe space, we will be introducing a lockdown procedure. A lockdown procedure would be used in response to an external or internal incident which could be a threat to the safety of staff and children in the school. 

A building lockdown will require that all rooms are locked and movement in and out of the building is restricted. The types of emergencies that could require a lockdown are:

We understand that a lockdown drill could be a cause of some anxiety, especially for our younger and more vulnerable students. Before the drill, students will be informed of what to do via an assembly and teachers will talk to their classes and walk them through the procedure. They will speak in general terms stating that “just like we practice fire evacuation and leave the building, we also need to practice for emergencies that keep us in the building”.  Talking about the drill at home with your child may also help to alleviate unnecessary anxiety.

Depending upon the nature of the lockdown, students will need to remain in the room they are in and staff will ensure that windows and doors are closed/locked with students positioned away from possible sightlines. Phones and entrances will not be manned. Staff and students on corridors at the time of the lockdown will be told to enter the nearest room where there are adults present. Once sufficient time has elapsed, the all clear signal will be given.

In the event of a real lockdown

In the event of a real lockdown event we will notify you as soon as practicable via the school’s text service or website. To ensure everyone’s safety, we ask that, in the event of a real lockdown, parents and carers refrain from coming onto site; this may hinder any emergency services action that needs to take place. We will not release students during a lockdown and we would ask that parents and carers not to ring school as this could tie up emergency lines.

In order for this process to work smoothly, we have shared information with students this week about a practice lockdown. This is to teach students how they should respond in an emergency situation. Our procedure aims to minimise disruption to the learning environment whilst ensuring the safety of all students and staff.

In the same way that we hold practice fire drills, we will be holding a lockdown drill during this  half term. I am sure you will want to discuss this with your child to reinforce the message that the academy is a safe place and that the drill is to ensure everyone knows what to do in a real situation. 

Information will be shared at the earliest opportunity following the lockdown informing you of the context of the lockdown and any other pertinent information.

Thank you for your support and cooperation. 

Yours sincerely,

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