Parent slams school over 'excessive' lockdown drill where kids 'hid under desks'

16 November 2023 , 14:32

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Cliftonville Primary School in Margate (Image: Google)

A dad has hit out at his child's primary school for an 'unnecessary' lockdown drill, claiming it would have "scared the children".

David Payn, whose 10 year old attends Cliftonville Primary in Margate, Kent, said youngsters as young as four had to hide under desks while teachers barricaded classroom doors. He labelled the exercise "excessive and unnecessary".

Mr Payn claimed that parents were "mortified" and had not been informed the practice would be taking place. The school bosses at Cliftonville Primary have declined to comment - but a Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson says the school "took all necessary measures to prepare the children for the practice".

Mr Payn said: "They were told they had to hide under tables and be quiet while the teacher barricaded the door. Kids just need to be kids. For a four or five year old it was likely terrifying and my 10 year old didn't really understand it.

"Some of the kids have got special needs and don't deal well with things like this. I didn't even know it existed until my son told me. I found it really weird that we weren't spoken to before it happened. It seems excessive and unnecessary.

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"You'd expect the school to let you know. There was a real lack of information given out by them and it seemingly came out of nowhere." While schools aren't compelled to have a lockdown plan, legislation does require them to take appropriate measures to keep people on site safe.

The NASUWT teaching union has stated that while the chance of an intruder intending to cause harm is low, it's important for all staff and pupils to know how to react in a lockdown situation. However, Mr Payn criticised the drill at Cliftonville Primary as "scaremongering".

"I remember being in school during 9/11 when actual terrorist attacks were happening and we didn't do anything," said the 33-year-old. "We're asking our kids to do stuff we would have done in the Cold War or America where there are mass shootings every five minutes.

"It's unnecessary scaremongering and we're teaching them to be fearful of things that aren't really relevant for this part of the country." After the drill on November 6, Mr Payn shared his thoughts on social media, seeking other parents' views.

He said that those he had spoken to in person were "generally mortified". The reactions to his post were mixed, with some supporting the school. One supporter said: "Although I don't like it, I would prefer for them to be prepared if it was ever needed". But another parent criticised the school, saying it was "disgusting they didn't send a letter before actually doing it".

Responding to the social media uproar caused by the lockdown practice, Mr Payn expressed his desire for a sensible discussion on the issue. The retail worker remarked: "You see the word 'snowflake' thrown out there quite a lot which just seems childish."

"You wonder how they would feel if they had their kids come home saying they'd been asked to sit under tables during school. If there was no practice, students would be more likely to panic..."

A spokesperson for KCC said that the safety of pupils is paramount and lockdown practices mean youngsters are less likely to panic if emergency procedures ever have to be put in place. "We understand that the parent who posted the original comment on Facebook has not complained directly to the school, which took all necessary measures to prepare the children for the practice," they said.

Cliftonville Primary has been contacted for comment.

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