Critical Incidents
The government has recently published a new guidance document helping schools to prepare for serious incidents. Although schools are often encouraged to consider potential threats from external sources, two recent serious incidents in south Wales and Sheffield remind us that threats can come from inside the school too.
Whilst no-one would want to stress pupils by involving them in an exercise, especially younger children, it is important that senior leaders perhaps consider a ‘walk through’ of a serious scenario. It is also useful to consider asking the ‘what-if-it-happened here’ question after an incident which has been reported in the media.
Links to the government guidance and some useful local authority information can be found below:
Government Guidance
Protective security and preparedness for education settings (DfE, April 2024)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-security-and-preparedness-for-education-settings
Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings (DfE)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings/emergency-planning-and-response-for-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings
School and college security (DfE)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-security/school-and-college-security
School and college security - templates and checklists (DfE)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-security
Other useful resources
Emergencies and Critical Incidents (Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel)
https://oeapng.info/4797-emergencies-and-critical-incidents/
Critical Incidents in Educational Communities (UK Trauma Council)
https://uktraumacouncil.org/resources/critical-incidents
Critical incident pack for schools (Devon County Council)
https://www.devon.gov.uk/support-schools-settings/send/educational-psychology/critical-incident-pack-information-for-schools/
Critical Incident Guide (Ealing Grid for Learning)
https://www.egfl.org.uk/facilities/critical-incident-guide