East Lothian schoolkids 'barricade doors' and 'hide under tables' in safety drills
East Lothian school pupils have taken part in safety drills which saw students practising barricading their classroom doors.
Rosehill High School was one of the latest educational settings to host a practice drill which was designed to help staff and pupils 'adapt to an unexpected event' which could lead to students and teachers 'taking shelter' for their safety.
East Lothian council officials said schools informed children well in advance of the drills taking place however some guardians have complained not enough communication took place between schools and parents.
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One parent welcomed the move but felt there was also a lack of coordination, claiming some classrooms were asked to prop tables against doors while others were simply asked to line up along the back wall of the classroom.
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"I think it’s a good idea to have these drills but do feel better communication before hand would have been beneficial for families," one mum said. "I also feel that the schools maybe need more training as every class seemed to do different things, for instance my son’s class were just told to line up at the back of the class against the wall, while other classes were told to hide under tables and barricade doors."
But local authority bosses added the activities were discussed in a suitable way for students and all learners were supported to participate.
Council officials also said some classrooms are built with internal locks and therefore not all classes which took part in drills had to practise barricading tables against their door.
It is understood drills will take place at least once a term at East Lothian schools in order to prepare students to protects themselves by following procedure if they ever have to shelter from danger.
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A spokesperson for East Lothian council said: "All of our schools routinely update their business continuity plans which outline how they would respond and adapt to an unexpected event, such as relocation from their building. Fire evacuation procedures are well established and practiced regularly however, as part of this work, schools have been holding drills to understand what measures would need to be taken if staff and children were told to shelter in place for any reason. Children and young people were aware in advance of the activity and it was widely discussed in an age appropriate way, supporting all learners to participate.
“Feedback from Rosehill was that staff and young people responded well and the process, which took less than 10 minutes, was calm and seamless. The activity is part of ongoing resilience work and not in response to any incident.”