Lockdown Procedure
In the event of an emergency lockdown at pre-school the alarm will be raised by a member of staff. This is a loud intermittent alarm which will sound around the entire pre-school building and in the garden.
All staff MUST follow the outlined procedure set out below:
- Each staff member is responsible for evacuating the area in which they are working at the time, including bathrooms and outside areas.
- The Health and Safety Officer or staff member in charge of the setting will get the evacuation bag, the register and mobile phone if safe to do so.
- All staff and children are to come into the building and proceed up to the first floor rooms.
- Should children be playing outside and it is unsafe to enter the building the children will be taken to West Wycombe School, next door where the staff will ring the Preschool to communicate with any staff that have remained at the Preschool. Should this also be unsafe (if someone the intruder is in the front of the building) then they will barricade themselves into the outdoor storage area.
- So as not to frighten the children the code words ‘Peanut Butter Sandwiches’’ will be used by staff.
- Staff must then lock the room doors from the inside using the key hanging behind the back of the door and draw the blinds.
- The children are to seated on the floor, as far away from the windows as possible. Staff will endeavour to keep the children as quiet as possible.
- Staff will dial 999 and request emergency services be sent to pre-school for a lockdown situation.
- Children will be occupied with stories and kept calm.
- When emergency services have confirmed it is safe to exit the building the children will exit using the nearest fire exit.
- Children will be walked to West Wycombe School Hall which is our nominated place of safety.
- The Health and safety Officer or person in charge of pre-school will take the register and then contact all parents to arrange immediate collection of their children.
- A full report will be written by staff and submitted to the police and OFSTED.
This policy was adopted by West Wycombe Pre-school Playgroup in October 2010 and updated when necessary reviewed on a yearly basis.
Reviewed and amended August 2023