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Neath Port TalbotCounty Borough Council

Managing Crises in Schools & Educational Settings: A Practical Guide

April 2009

Managing Crises in Schools GuidanceJoint Resilience Unit

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Neath Port TalbotCounty Borough Council

Managing Crises in Schools & Educational Settings: A Practical Guide

Managing Crises in Schools GuidanceJoint Resilience Unit

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RECORD OF CHANGES

DATE / PAGE NO. / REASON FOR AMENDMENT / CHANGED BY

CONTENTS

PART A - GUIDANCE

Para /

Page

Introduction
Aim
Objectives
Definition of a Crisis
Crisis Management Team (CMT)
Activation of the Plan
Response & Return to Normality
Stand down
Plan Management & Training
Annexes
A / Example Crisis Management Team (CMT)
B / Support Services
Education Emergency Response Team
Joint Resilience Unit
Education Welfare Service
Educational Psychology Service
Educational Psychology Service Involvement
Cruse Bereavement Care
Samaritans
Childline
Winston’s Wish
Faith Communities

PART B – CONTACT DETAILS

C
Critical Management Team
School Governors
Local Authority Services / External Agencies

PART C – ACTION CARDS & LOG

D / Response to an Incident
E / ACTION CARDS
Appendix 1 / Intruders, Trespass, Nuisance or Disturbance on Premises
Appendix 2 / Premises Emergencies & Inclement Weather
Fire & Damage to Building
Loss of Power and / or Heating
Loss of Water and / or Drainage
Failure of Key ICT Systems
Gas Leaks
Appendix 3 / Inclement Weather
Severe Weather
Flooding
Inclement Weather Checklist
Appendix 4 / Severe Medical Incident / Death of a Pupil or Member of Staff
Appendix 5 / Tragedy during a School Trip
Appendix 6 / Infectious Diseases in Schools
Appendix 7 / Bomb Threat
Appendix 8 / Unlawful Wounding
Appendix 9 / Managing the Media
F / Incident Log

Managing Crises in Schools GuidanceJoint Resilience Unit

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PART A

Guidance

Managing Crises in Schools GuidanceJoint Resilience Unit

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  1. INTRODUCTION

There is a duty on the Local Authority as a Category 1 responder under the remit of the Civil Contingencies Act to put in place arrangements to respond to and recover from an incident affecting educational establishments and/ or those within them.

An organised and planned approach to managing the response to any crisis which may affect your school will result in a more effective response, reducing both the short and longer term consequences of such an event.

Educational establishments undertake a huge range of everyday and extra curricular activities. These coupled with the hazards that may face educational establishments and the local community have identified that nothing is without risk and that risk can, in some circumstances, result in tragedy.

An incident within the school premises or in the wider community can have a huge impact on pupils, teachers, governors, families, peer groups and the wider community. Some incidents may call for closure of schools.

There are great demands upon schools and the Local Authority for information and action, and a planned response will better prepare those responsible to respond to challenges placed upon them.

The Managing Crises in Schools and Educational Settings: A Practical Guide has been developed to help prepare for the many aspects of responding to a critical incident involving the educational establishment and/ or student/ teacher populations.

The Guidance has been designed so that it can be adapted to any school and still provide for a consistent response to critical incidents across the Local Educational Authority.

The Guidance provides a step by step guide for choosing a Crisis Management Team and then using that team to establish sound procedures for the response to any crisis.

It is recommended that Headteachers develop and adapt this guidance to facilitate a managed and coordinated approach to deal with such events in individual schools.

The Local Education Authority and the Joint Resilience Unit is prepared to provide any assistance needed to help understand and implement the guidelines explained in this workbook.

The Joint Resilience Unit Officers are available to conduct staff training sessions on the Guidance and to offer advice and assistance in the development of specific plans.

  1. AIM

The aim of this document is to ensure that all staff & governors are equipped with a full and concise working document, including flowcharts/action cards, to deal with any crisis that affects the school, its staff or pupils.

These incidents may range from a flooded classroom to a tragic accident during a school trip or other off-site visit.

All members of staff and governors should be clear about their roles and responsibilities at such a time and should be able to utilise this document to identify who should be contacted and how in a number of different scenarios.

  1. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this guidance is to:

  • Clarify the definition of ‘Crisis’
  • To establish clear roles and responsibilities for the Crisis Management Team (CMT) in response to an emergency
  • To assist all staff, employees and children/ young people in coping with emergencies.
  • Identify supporting mechanisms that are available to manage the short and long term effects of an incident.
  • Identify generic risks faced by educational establishments
  1. DEFINITION OF A CRISIS

4.1Generally incidents involving property damage, bereavement, loss and/ or trauma can be effectively managed by a school through the systems currently in place and by accessing education and/ or other outside services as required.

4.2An incident can be classed as a ‘Crisis’ when it constitutes a serious disruption to an educational establishment and arises with little or no warning on a scale beyond the coping capacity of the school operating under normal conditions, and requiring the assistance of the emergency services or the services within the Local Authority.

4.3Examples of incidents impacting on schools could include:

  • Death or serious injury as a result of violence, accident, self harm, and/ or sudden/ traumatic illness
  • Loss of Building
  • Terrorism
  • Missing person(s)/ Abductions
  • Virus
  • Natural/ manmade disasters: Flooding, Gas Explosion, Fire, Severe Weather etc.

Incidents can occur:

  • During or out of school hours
  • On school premises
  • When premises are being used for extra curricular activities or by the community
  • Within the local community involving pupils from the school
  • On or involving school transport
  • In another part of the UK or another country
  • The most appropriate response to a crisis will depend upon the circumstances. Schools will already have specific procedures in place for fire drills, school closure and school visits.
  • In responding to a crisis the school must take responsibility for coping with most consequences. Teachers know pupils well, and after parents provide the strongest, most trusted adult relationship for younger people. When support from the outside agencies is eventually withdrawn, the school will need to have measures in place to cope with the aftermath.
  • All schools currently have in place good preventative measures that are built into:
  • Curriculum
  • Pastoral Support
  • Code of Conduct
  • Security
  • Planning for trips & visits – i.e. Risk Assessments
  • Health & Safety
  • Creating & Maintaining a School Managing Crisis Plan
  1. CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM (CMT)
  2. Each school or educational setting should have set in place a CMT. This team is responsible for managing the response to a crisis affecting the school. This team cannot be put together when the crisis or critical incident is unfolding. Each member should be in place and comfortable with his or her role long before a crisis or critical incident occurs.
  3. In most incidents Head Teachers will rely on other key personnel to carry out a response that will ensure the safety of students and other school personnel during a crisis or critical incident.
  4. Each CMT should consist of an immediately accessible core group of personnel who have the knowledge and skills to handle an emergency situation. Members of the CMT should be selected based on each incident. The members of the CMT could include the following:
  • Head Teacher
  • Deputy Head Teacher (s)
  • Senior Staff
  • Pastoral Representative
  • Caretaker/ Premises Manager
  • Head of Special Units (if appropriate)
  • Faith representatives (if a faith school or to represent those staff/ pupils within the school who hold particular religious beliefs)
  • Head of School Governors
  • School Secretary (administrative support for the group)
  • Other persons depending on the incident (e.g. Educational Psychologists, or Health & Safety representatives).

NB. It may not be essential to include all representatives listed above. Refer to Part A, Annex A for an example Crisis Management Team and individual roles.

5.4Individual Roles and Responsibilities will be delegated by the Head Teacher (or other senior member of the CMT) and will be dependent on the nature of the incident.

5.4The CMT may need support from external services such as:

  • Education Emergency Standby Duty Officer
  • Education Welfare Services
  • Educational Psychology Service
  • Communications and Media Service
  • The Joint Resilience Unit
  • Faith Communities

Further details on the support provided by these services can be found in Part A, Annex B.

5.5See Part B Annex C for Contact Details.

  1. ACTIVATION OF THE PLAN

6.1Individually developed school plan from this guidance will be activated locally to an incident by the Head Teacher (or another Senior Staff member) when notified of an incident and the CMT will be mobilised immediately.

  1. RESPONSE & RETURN TO NORMALITY
  2. The 3 stages are:

i)Phase One: immediate Response – The CMT comes together to assess the incident, contact the appropriate agencies and mobilise the response.

ii)Phase Two: Managed Response – The CMT will be responsible for the coordination and management of the response.

iii)Phase Three: Return to Normality – The Return to Normality process will depend upon the circumstances of the incident however the CMT will hold responsibility for coordinating this and ensuring that the relevant services are made available.

Managing Crises in Schools GuidanceJoint Resilience Unit

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7.2Refer to Part C Annex D for the Response, Management & Recovery action card.

7.3Action cards for the following specific incidents can be found in Part C Annex E. Listed below are some examples of planning issues that could be considered by the CMT to improve the school’s response to a critical incident.

Intruders, trespass, nuisance or disturbance on premises (Appendix 1)

Planning Issues

  • Be wise before an event and seek advice/guidance from Crime Prevention Officer, Corporate H&S, Anti-Social Behaviour Team, Arson Reduction Team, Premises Management Officer regarding good practice, target hardening, School Watch etc.
  • Designate a single supervised point of access into school.
  • Ensure visitors are signed in and out and escorted around the school.
  • Have a “Keyword” that alerts other staff to call 999 and request a Police response.
  • As a last resort consider arrangements for a partial/full evacuation to a place of safety
  • Early alerts to other schools for potential risks.
  • Develop and adopt a Lone Working Policy including specific procedures for key holders who may have to attend intruder alarm activations out of hours.
  • Minimise false Intruder Alarm activations to maintain full Police response.
  • Consider employing a key holding company to respond to out of hours Intruder Alarm activations.

Fire & damage to buildings (Appendix 2)

Planning Issues

  • Ensure you have a fully worked up Fire Evacuation Plan that includes arrangements for partial/full evacuation of premises including if necessary to a secondary place of safety off-site.
  • Ensure all recommendations within Fire Risk Assessments have been complied with.
  • Ensure all pupils, staff and the CMT are fully conversant with your school’s Fire Evacuation Plan and understand their respective roles and responsibilities.
  • Be aware of location of electric/gas supplies, switchgear, cut off switches etc.
  • Regular training, awareness raising and drills should reiterate the need to activate the fire alarm, get out and stay out to all staff and pupils in the event of detecting flame or smoke.
  • Communicating Business Continuity arrangements to staff, parents and pupils in the event of serious damage to buildings.
  • Ensure that all personal evacuation plans for pupils with disability and/or additional learning needs are in place
  • Consider what protocols are in place for hearing & visually impaired pupils e.g. beacon system for fire alarm.

Loss of power and / or heating (Appendix 2)

Planning Issues

  • A service to parents and pupils should be maintained for as long as is reasonably practicable.
  • Be aware of location of electric/gas supplies, switchgear, cut off switches etc.
  • Draw up a plan for internal reorganisation and/or partial/full closure including arrangements for contacting parents/guardians to collect and/or receive pupils, early call in of home to school transport contractors etc.
  • Consider arrangements for informing parents/pupils/public/LEA of return to normality.
  • Identify secondary place of safety

Loss of water and / or drainage (Appendix 2)

Planning Issues

  • A service to parents and pupils should be maintained for as long as is reasonably practicable
  • Be aware of location of water meters and stop cocks
  • Draw up a plan for partial/full closure including arrangements for contacting parents/guardians to collect and/or receive pupils, early call in of home to school transport contractors etc.
  • Consider arrangements for informing parents/pupils/public/LEA of return to normality
  • Identify secondary place of safety

Failure of key ICT systems (Appendix 2)

Planning Issues

  • It is unlikely that the failure of a single PC will be sufficiently disruptive to warrant contingency. Plans should focus on the impact of being unable to access major systems such as SIMS or the impact of being unable to access key curriculum data files.
  • Schools should consider in the contingency plan how long an IT system can be inoperable before contingency arrangements need to be implemented.
  • Schools should consider the need to keep paper copies of information and the need to operate manual systems in the event of IT system failure.
  • Consider how lessons might operate without the use of key IT systems.
  • Consider how the school would communicate (with parents, staff or pupils) without access to key IT systems (e.g. without e-mail, without the school telephone system, without access to pupil/parent data)
  • The school should identify within the plan the person or people who have the authority to instigate contingency arrangements.
  • Baglan I.T. Centre (BITC) maintains backups of most of the data used in a school. If data is stored locally by the school i.e. off the servers managed by BITC) then the school must maintain its own backup copies. These may be required in the event of system failure.
  • Where the school needs to maintain its own backup copies of data, keep the copies in a secure place (e.g. fireproof safe) and if possible keep a copy off-site.
  • Consider whether any elements of the contingency plan can be tested to ensure contingency arrangements are effective.
  • Ensure that the contingency plan is periodically reviewed to ensure it reflects changes to ICT systems or to the school’s use of those systems.
  • Someone in the school should act as a first point of contact for all computer problems. In secondary schools this may be an IT technician, in Primary Schools this may be a member of the support staff.

Gas leaks (Appendix 2)

Planning Issues

  • Be aware of location of gas meters and cut off valves.
  • Draw up a plan for partial/full evacuation including possible off-site arrangements for contacting parents/guardians to collect and/or receive pupils, early call in of home to school transport contractors etc.
  • Advising the LEA at the earliest opportunity of any partial/full evacuation and/or closure by telephoning Pupil Parent Support Manager during office hours
  • Consider arrangements for informing parents/pupils/public and LEA of return to normality.

Severe weather (Appendix 3)

Planning Issues

  • A service to parents and pupils should be maintained for as long as is reasonably practicable.
  • Draw up a plan for partial/full closure and/or evacuation including arrangements for contacting parents/guardians to collect and/or receive pupils, early call in of home to school transport contractors etc. Any decisions must be conveyed to Pupil Parent Support.
  • Consider use of Inclement Weather Checklist (refer to p52) to inform any decisions on closure.
  • Consider arrangements for notifying parents of early partial/full closure or evacuation e.g. telephone, e-mail, radio broadcasts etc.
  • Consider arrangements for informing parents/pupils/public/LEA of return to normality.

Flooding (Appendix 3)

Planning Issues

  • Consider signing up to the Environment Agency Warning System
  • Be aware of pupils on educations visits / work experience / off-site

Severe medical incident / death of a pupil or member of staff (Appendix 4)

Planning Issues

  • Convene a CMT meeting at the earliest opportunity.
  • Ensure that all members of staff and Chair of Governors as appropriate are made aware of the situation.
  • Informing the LEA at the earliest opportunity by telephoning Pupil Parent Support Manager during office hours - they will be able to liaise with the Media & Communications Team and Educational Psychologists in organising immediate and ongoing support for staff and pupils as required.
  • Staging a planned and sensitive return to normality.

Tragedy during school trip (Appendix 5)