Lockdown procedure

Following the declaration of a major incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford on 24 April 2024, there has rightly been much focus and speculation about the role of lockdowns in schools. Parents and carers will wish to be reassured that St Teilo's has plans in place to deal with threats against children and the capacity to respond quickly and effectively.

A 'dynamic lockdown' is one of a suite of measures to restrict access and egress to the school site or building. The precise nature of a dynamic lockdown depends very specifically on the nature of the threat and the highly particular circumstances leading to the lockdown.

A dynamic lockdown may include:

• Shelter in place – usually an external health hazard where building evacuations are not recommended. The goal of this procedure is to keep people indoors until the threat has passed.
• Internal threat – this threat exists when the danger is inside of the school building. The goal of this procedure is to keep everybody safe until the threat is completely removed.
• External threat – this threat exists when the danger is outside of the school building. The goal of this procedure is to prevent the threat from entering the school.
• Full lockdown – this scenario involves a serious threat that requires immediate action.

The Welsh Government set out broad principles for emergency planning and response in schools. These principles underpin the St Teilo's lockdown procedure (Q05-24).

The full lockdown procedure for the school can be downloaded below:

Lockdown Procedure