School Lockdown Procedures: Best Practice, Safety Tips and Implementation Guidance
While the risk of an incident involving an intruder looking to cause harm in any school is very low, it’s still vital that every school in the UK has a clear, well-practised lockdown procedure in place and has the tools to implement it swiftly and safely.
With the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, known as Martyn’s Law, due to come into force in 2027, schools will be expected to place even more focus on emergency planning, risk awareness and response. While schools aren’t considered to be among the highest-risk venues, the principles of this new legislation already align with Ofsted’s expectations for safeguarding and site security.
In this guide, we’ll explore the practical steps schools can take to put an effective lockdown procedure in place. From assessing your site for vulnerabilities to choosing the right alert system, we’ll guide you through the key considerations for keeping pupils, staff and visitors safe during a lockdown or invacuation situation.
Contents:
What is a school lockdown and why should you have a lockdown procedure?
A school lockdown, often referred to as a school security lockdown in government documents, is when there is a threat to pupils, staff and visitors that means it’s safer for them to remain in a school building, and are therefore directed to stay there and shelter as far away from the threat as possible.
Situations when a lockdown may be used include:
- When an intruder is seen on the school grounds or in the building
- When a violent or abusive parent/carer is causing trouble
- When a threat has been made against the school
You may have also heard of the term ‘invacuation’. A lockdown is similar to an invacuation, but they are used in different circumstances. While a lockdown is used when there is the risk of immediate harm to pupils, staff or visitors, an invacuation is used when there is danger outside the school that needs to be avoided.
Invacuations can be useful in situations such as:
- Loose animals on school grounds
- Gas, smoke or other chemical pollution in the area
- Any incident near the school which has the potential to cause harm if pupils, staff or visitors leave the building
Every school should have a lockdown and invacuation procedure in place that clearly states the steps that staff must take to protect pupils, visitors and themselves from any threat. Ofsted requires all schools to have a security lockdown procedure, while the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill which comes into force in 2027 aims to ensure that publicly accessible venues have plans in place to protect the public from terrorist threats.
What does Ofsted say about lockdown procedures?
Ofsted’s guidance on lockdown procedures is vague, and many unions such as NASUWT argue that there should be much more advice available to headteachers.
Ofsted states that every school should have a security lockdown plan, and it is the responsibility of the headteacher or delegated member of staff to judge the level of response required during a security incident.
Right now, Ofsted inspectors do not advocate for the need for lockdown alarms in schools, despite some online sources reporting that they do. The school inspection handbook only states that they expect schools to meet the requirements of the Keeping children safe in education guidance.
However, we think that Ofsted and the Department for Education should go further and require a lockdown alarm system to be in place in order to protect students and staff.
Currently, many schools rely on their fire alarm system, which can often produce visual-only alarms. But we think this is dangerous – fire alarms signal evacuation, whereas in a lockdown situation it’s crucial that staff and pupils stay put.
Martyn’s Law: How it relates to schools
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, more commonly known as Martyn’s Law, was created in memory of Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. This legislation is due to come into force in 2027 and will place new duties on publicly accessible venues to consider the threat of terrorism and put appropriate protective measures in place.
While most schools are not considered high-risk venues under the current classification of the bill, the core principles of Martyn’s Law still apply. These include:
- Risk awareness: Understanding potential threats and being able to recognise suspicious behaviour or activity.
- Emergency planning: Having clear, documented procedures in place to respond to different types of incidents.
- Rapid response: Ensuring that all staff know what to do in the event of an emergency and can act quickly to protect pupils.
Ofsted has already started to align with these principles in its inspection framework. Having a school lockdown procedure is a clear way to demonstrate that your school takes its duty of care seriously – and helps ensure you’re prepared for a range of incidents, not just terrorism.
How to create a lockdown procedure
If your school doesn’t yet have a formal lockdown plan in place, now is the time to act.
We’ve spoken to some of our customers in the education sector and interpreted NASUWT guidance to come up with these guidelines for creating a lockdown procedure.
This is for informational purposes only. Please ensure you liaise with your local authority, unions, and other relevant bodies to help finalise your lockdown procedure.
1. Conduct a vulnerability assessment
Begin by identifying the specific risks that your school could face. This might include intruders, violent or aggressive individuals or incidents happening in the local area. Consider different times of the school day, such as break times or drop-off, when pupils may be more dispersed across the site.
NASUWT recommends carrying out a vulnerability assessment of your school’s buildings and grounds using a traffic light system. It can be useful to put yourself in the position of the attacker while you do this.
Using a plan of your school’s grounds, walk around the school and consider how an attacker might carry out an attack, and where the easiest places to gain access are. Highlight areas of the school in red, amber or green depending on how vulnerable they are to attack – with red being the most vulnerable.
2. Do a space assessment
Hopefully, once you’ve assessed each area, you’ll have some highlighted in green. These areas should be the most likely to provide protection, or are difficult to find.
Do a space assessment in each area, allowing around half a metre squared per person to calculate how many people you can fit in the area. If you don’t have enough space in the green areas, you may have to consider using some of the safer amber ones too.
You should consider the following things when deciding on the areas to be used:
- Try to move people short distances, as longer routes can lead to panic
- The routes to safe areas also need to be safe, so don’t take people outside to move back inside to a safe area
- People should be kept informed every few minutes when they are sheltering in these areas – this is where an alert system like Little Green Button can be useful
- Ideally, there should be toilets and water facilities nearby
- NASUWT suggests that classes that know and work together are best kept together to lower stress
3. Write your lockdown procedure
Now you know where you can safely accommodate people during a lockdown, it’s time to write your lockdown procedure.
Your procedure should be simple enough to follow under stress and flexible enough to work during different parts of the school day, such as pupil arrival, break times or after-school clubs.
There are three key principles to consider when writing your procedure: time, control and simplicity.
Time
Time is of the essence in a lockdown situation. Just like in a fire, the sooner people are made aware of the incident, the faster they can respond. That’s why schools should consider using a dedicated lockdown alert system that is clearly distinguishable from the fire alarm to avoid confusion.
Ideally, a panic alarm should be placed in vulnerable (red) areas such as entrances, the main office or reception. If you also use a PA system or internal messaging, this can help qualify the alert and direct staff to take the appropriate action.
At Little Green Button, we recommend a customisable lockdown alert that can be triggered discreetly via desktop, mobile or a physical button, and which can send different types of alerts to the right responders immediately.
Control
Without clear leadership, lockdown situations can quickly become chaotic. Every school should nominate an incident controller to take charge when a lockdown is triggered. To ensure someone is always available, at least three trained individuals should be appointed and rotated depending on availability. These roles may be filled by members of SLT or other trained staff who are regularly on site.
To improve communication, consider issuing a pager or a designated mobile phone to the duty controller each day. The controller should have access to key tools such as the PA system, CCTV, and any lockdown alert technology. Ideally, this would be done from a control room or protected office. If your current control setup is located in a vulnerable area, you may want to explore cost-effective ways to upgrade security or set up duplicate facilities elsewhere on site.
Simplicity
Procedures must be kept clear and easy to follow. In the middle of a high-stress incident, complicated or vague steps can lead to delays or mistakes. Use plain language and break down the steps for different groups, such as class teachers, support staff and admin staff.
One effective approach is to build your lockdown procedure on top of your existing fire marshal system. Fire marshals already have responsibility for guiding and accounting for pupils during fire evacuations, so with a small amount of additional training, they can be equipped to support lockdown scenarios too.
Regular practise will help staff feel more confident in their roles during a real incident. Keep procedures short, action-focused, and revisit them after drills or policy reviews.
4. Regular practise and drills
There’s no specific legal requirement to conduct lockdown drills in schools, but it’s considered best practice by both Ofsted and government safeguarding guidance.
Drills should be held at least once a year, and after any significant change to your policy or procedures. Ensure all new staff are trained in your lockdown procedures as part of their induction.
Why a lockdown alert system should be part of your lockdown procedure
A clear, unmistakable way to alert staff to a lockdown situation is critical. Many schools rely on their fire alarm systems to signal emergencies, but this can create confusion. Fire alarms tell staff and pupils to evacuate. A lockdown alarm must do the opposite: instruct them to stay inside and take shelter.
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) specifically advises against using fire alarms during lockdown events, as they can lead to the wrong response and place staff and pupils in danger.
Instead, schools should install a dedicated lockdown alert system that:
- Notifies staff immediately without causing panic among pupils
- Can be triggered from different areas of the school
- Clearly distinguishes a lockdown from other types of emergency
How Little Green Button can help
Little Green Button provides a simple, effective lockdown alert system and panic button for schools. Our panic alarm software runs on computers, tablets and mobiles, and can be triggered by a physical Big Green Button, allowing staff to call for help or initiate a lockdown at the click of a button.
You can configure Little Green Button to send different types of alerts to different groups, such as lockdowns to all staff, or medical emergencies to first aiders, and track how incidents unfold in real time via the alert timeline.
- Staff can raise the alarm quickly and discreetly from anywhere in the school
- Alerts are sent to designated teams immediately, helping you initiate a swift, coordinated response
- Use the system in drills to reinforce best practice and ensure staff are confident in what to do
“We have seen a significant increase in demand for lockdown and intruder protection following a rise in abusive incidents against staff,” says Alex Jay, Little Green Button CEO.
“Nearly 40% of teachers have been the victim of an abusive incident in the last 12 months according to teacher’s union NASUWT, and Little Green Button is there to support them and help mitigate the risk and improve safety outcomes.”
Whether you’re responding to Martyn’s Law, preparing for Ofsted, or simply doing what’s right for your pupils and staff, having a clear lockdown procedure and alert system in place is essential.
Want to see how Little Green Button could support your school’s lockdown planning?
Get in touch with our team today to arrange a demo or start a free trial.