Lockdown, Invacuation and Evacuation: What UK Schools Plan For

Schools in England are encouraged to plan how they'd respond to a serious security incident. Knowing the words helps families stay calm.

Most schools will never face a serious security incident. But just as they plan for a fire, schools are encouraged to plan for other emergencies too. Department for Education guidance for settings in England, updated in April 2025, sets out the main options.

The three main responses

Lockdown means locking or barricading a room's doors and windows to keep someone who intends harm out of an area. Staff may close blinds and turn off the lights, and keep pupils calm and quiet. In nursery and primary settings, staff may simply dim the lights.

Invacuation means moving everyone inside the building to a place of relative safety, for example away from windows during a threat outside.

Evacuation means moving people out of the building, as in a fire drill. Depending on the situation, it can be full, partial, phased or directional.

Run, Hide, Tell

The guidance builds on the national police advice for weapons attacks. Run if there is a safe route, and don't stop for belongings. If you can't, hide: lock yourself in, barricade the door, stay quiet and silence your phone. Tell the police by calling 999, but only when it is safe to do so. Schools are expected to adapt this for young children and pupils with special educational needs.

How schools practise

Lockdown drills involving primary-age and younger children are relatively uncommon. Primary schools and nurseries may practise with staff only, when children aren't present. Where pupils do take part, the guidance is clear that drills should not shock or frighten them, and should never act out the behaviour of an attacker.

Sources

• Protective security and preparedness for education settings (Department for Education)
• School and college security (lockdown and evacuation templates) (Department for Education)

This guidance applies to England. Schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow their own national guidance, which covers similar ideas.

This post is general information. Your school's own plan comes first, so ask the school office for its procedures.