Safety & Security
Choosing the best school lockdownsolution
Choosing the best school wn solution
As part of the Ofstedinspection, schools will be asked if they have a Lockdown Policy– this can be a simple document with guidelines. Until recently, they have not had to have an actual Lockdown system installed, however Ofsted now advocate a dedicated lockdown alarm to be in place, distinctive to the sound of the fire alarm. This is in line with advice from NACTSO(National Counter Terrorism Security Office) which states that the ‘use of fire alarms should be avoided to reduce incorrect response to an incident’.
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hilst Ofsted inspectors are primarily concerned with the performance of the school with
regards to learning, they will refer to site security and will want the school to demonstrate that they are at the very least meeting basic criteria to protect pupils, staff and the premises. A poor showing with regards to the safety of pupils in the case of emergency will impact an Ofsted inspection negatively, therefore schools are looking to implement lockdown systems in accordance with their policy, but which one best suits a school’s needs?
Why would a lockdown system be used? Firstly, what incidents may instigate a lockdown? There can be any number of scenarios leading to a school requiring pupils and staff to make themselves safe within the school premises. Many schools suffer from postcode wars where pupils may be part of gangs and the end of the school day is often a flash point for troubles from nearby schools. An intruder on site with a
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weapon is an obvious concern for schools or an argument between parents may escalate. How does a school inform pupils and staff in a rapid and safe manner that they are to find a place of safety within the school and stay put?
IP speakers
An announcement via IP speakers is a good solution but offers no visual alert as well. These speakers also require wiring which takes time and money to install so is very dependent on the school’s budget. The advantage, of course, is that once the system is in the speakers can be used for a whole range of alerts.
Using the fire alarm Some schools use fire alerts for lockdown but this can bring about confusion. If the alerts are already being used for break time, adding in a further sound for lockdown can lead to confusion and possibly the incorrect procedure being adopted. Should the fire alarm therefore be considered for lockdown? For smaller sites it is a possibility, particularly if only one sound is
currently being used but it is not an ideal solution. Confusion as to whether the alarm means evacuate or stay put is the obvious flaw to using this option.
Other voice-systems So, are live voice-based systems the answer? Again, there are pitfalls. Language of course is a barrier and as most lockdown systems will be prevalent in inner city locations this can be a real problem. A lockdown message with an in-built alert on loop can work in many cases, particularly if the school has regular lockdown drills. However, these tannoy announcements rarely cover outside areas such as playing fields due to cabling so schools with sprawling sites or several outbuildings may not be able to use this option.
Alerts via mobile phone network Mobile phone systems are also an option but these come with their own problems. Firstly, the school may have a policy about mobile phone use during learning times. Unless the school looked at providing all staff members with a
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