Planning for Emergencies

Parents and carers trust schools to keep their children safe. Thanks to the efforts of staff and governors, schools normally remain a safe haven for pupils - but they can become involved in an emergency at any time, for example serious injury (e.g. transport accident), significant damage to school property (e.g. fire, flooding), severe weather, loss of utility supply, public health incidents (e.g. flu pandemic) or criminal activity (e.g. arson, bomb threats).

Planning for such eventualities can save lives. It can also enhance your school’s reputation as a safe place to learn and work. A plan which deals with the consequences of large-scale emergencies can also help staff to cope with the smaller (but nevertheless distressing) incidents that schools can experience on a regular basis.

School employees have many demands on their time and preparing for emergencies can be viewed as time-consuming or resource intensive.  We can reduce the administrative burden of reviewing your emergency plan, training your staff and organising exercises - providing you with the confidence that your school is able to respond to a variety of incidents.

What we offer:

• Support when developing or reviewing your emergency plan.
• Advice on business continuity arrangements to reduce disruption to your pupils' education whilst affected by an incident.
• Identification of significant risks within the community that could affect your school (e.g. flooding, industrial hazards).
• Customised maps for your emergency plan which show the location of hazards, assembly points, places of safety on (or within the vicinity of) your site.
• General awareness training for staff and governors to ensure they are aware of your school's emergency plan and how it affects them.
• Advanced training for staff that are required to lead or co-ordinate your school's emergency response.
• Call-out exercises to test your emergency communication arrangements outside usual school hours.
• Live or tabletop exercises to test your school's response to an emergency.
• Debriefs after an exercise or incident to identify any important learning points or changes to your emergency plan.
• Advice on equipment or services which can benefit your school e.g. text messaging systems, emergency 'grab bags'.
• Free emergency planning resources are available online for all Nottinghamshire schools via 'Wired'

Costs:

Based on an hourly rate of £45, approximate prices are shown above. Please note that the exact cost will vary depending on the size of your school and your specific requirements - please contact us for a quote.

Training:

Emergency Planning and Advanced Emergency Planning training:

Training aims to provide staff and governors with an overview of your school's emergency procedures and outlines their roles and responsibilities during an emergency.

The Advanced course is aimed at employees with significant responsibilities in an emergency (such as those required to lead and co-ordinate your school's response).

• Training is available on request at your premises, or we can arrange a suitable Nottinghamshire County Council venue.
• Approximately £1,280 per course.