Following the recent stabbing of two teachers and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Welsh councils are urging schools to review their emergency procedures. The incident led to the school going into lockdown for approximately four hours. Jon-Paul Blundell, Bridgend’s cabinet member for education, has reassured parents that local schools are prepared for such emergency situations.
Various councils throughout Wales have issued statements regarding their safety procedures. Torfaen council is due to discuss lockdown arrangements on 13 May. The council plans to look at how to manage fencing repairs and magnetic locks, following reports of students having been able to break these. Wrexham has asked heads to check emergency lockdown procedures, whilst Denbighshire council has contacted all schools to remind them of the protocols and procedures in place to lockdown if needed.
Monmouthshire recently attended “critical incident training”, and have ensured all secondary schools have a system in place to respond to emergency incidents. Caerphilly, Newport, Conwy, Gwynedd, Ceredigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, and Vale of Glamorgan councils have all reiterated their safety policies and have contacted schools to ensure their policies have been updated.
During a Code Red situation, pupils and staff should remain in or retreat to classrooms which can be locked or barricaded. Blinds and curtains should be drawn, and mobiles switched to silent to buy emergency services time to intervene. Schools have been encouraged to rehearse their lockdown plan to ensure pupils and staff understand what to do in the event of an emergency situation.
Whilst serious incidents such as the one that occurred at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman are thankfully rare, it is important that schools are prepared for potential emergency situations to keep pupils and staff safe
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