Lockdown Procedures

At South Farnborough Junior School, we take safeguarding and safety very seriously. It is important that we continue to review all our procedures, considering even those events that are very unlikely to occur.

Lockdown procedures may be activated in response to any number of situations, these may be:

1. A reported incident, disturbance in the local community
2. An intruder on the site
3. A warning being received regarding a local risk of air pollution (smoke plume, gas cloud etc.)
4. A major fire in the vicinity of the school
5. The close proximity of a dangerous dog

Our procedure aims to minimise disruption to the learning environment whilst ensuring the safety of all pupils and staff.

At South Farnborough Junior School, there are two levels of lockdown:

• Amber (Partial) Lockdown, during which school activities carry on as normal practice. However, entrances and exits throughout the school are monitored closely and all staff are aware and on alert to be vigilant. Children and parents would not be aware of the situation in this instance.
• Red (Full) Lockdown, during which all staff and children would be inside the building, classrooms doors and windows barricaded and emergency services fully involved. Children and parents would be fully aware of the situation in this instance.

Once either lockdown procedure is implemented, the school will seek advice from external emergencies services. It may be that an Amber Lockdown is implemented as a precautionary measure until there is clarity on the level of threat.

 Instructions for parents in the event of a lockdown

• Should a full lockdown take place, parents will be notified by the school office as soon as possible
• During a lockdown procedure, 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
• Lockdowns should not be discussed on social media, as this may spread false information and create panic.
• If the end of the day is extended due to the lockdown, parents will be notified and will receive information about the time and place pupils can be picked up from, by the office staff or the emergency services.
• A letter to parents will be sent home on the nearest possible day following any serious incident to inform parents of the context of the lockdown and to encourage parents to reinforce with their children the importance of following procedures in these very rare circumstances.

Prior to our drill, staff will take time to talk to pupils about lockdown procedures and explain why they are important. They will reassure pupils after the drill that they are safe, and will emphasise that practising procedures like this will make sure the school remains a safe place to learn.

School will have regular lockdown drills to practise, so that in the unlikely event of such a situation, our pupils and staff are fully prepared.