Coping With a School Emergency in Nottinghamshire

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 placed new duties on local authorities in their role within emergency planning. As a result of this, the then DfES strongly recommended that schools should produce their own individual emergency plan to develop their resilience should an emergency occur.

In Nottinghamshire, the corporate Emergency Planning Team links closely with all its departments. In 2005 the links between the Emergency Planning Team and the Education Department were already well established. This created a strong base for the discussion around how schools’ awareness could be raised in the area of emergency planning and how the local authority could support them in producing their own emergency plans.

It was agreed that the best way forward was to produce guidance that could be sent to all schools. Colleagues in the Emergency Planning team and Education Department worked in partnership to produce and consult widely upon a document called Coping with a School Emergency. This document was issued to schools in 2006 and was one of the first in the country. It included a template for a school plan and supporting guidance. It was posted as an agenda item on all governing body agendas and a series of well received training events were held for headteachers and chairs of governors to develop their knowledge and understanding of the area of work.

The document was revised and reissued to schools in September 2008 and followed up with both introductory and refresher training events for headteachers and chairs of governors.

Nottinghamshire County Council has since then achieved beacon status for emergency planning. The Coping with a School Emergency document and the support given to schools to help them to write their own plan was a major contributory factor in achieving this status. The document received recognition from DCFS and has a high profile nationally.

The future

Nottinghamshire County Council Emergency Planning Team, working in partnership with other emergency planning beacons, DCSF and the Cabinet Office, is involved in a project with the aim of promoting community resilience through schools. The outputs of this project will include:

  • national guidance for schools on emergency planning
  • guidance on training and exercising school plans
  • national guidance for Children’s Services departments, including how they might support schools involved in an emergency
  • curriculum based teaching materials to educate pupils about emergency planning.

The project is jointly funded by DCSF and the emergency planning beacons, which acknowledges the importance that DCSF places on this area of work.

A final date for publication of these documents has not yet been agreed but it is likely to be 2009-10.

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