Through case studies, this workshop looks at the different areas of crisis management and provides tips for effective management, dealing with agencies and parents, and managing press interest.

1. Education law conferences 2018
Workshop 2A: Crisis management in schools

2. Crisis management in schools
Join the conversation #BJ_EDC

3. Crisis management in schools
• School Emergency Plan
• Management Team
• Case studies
• Final tips
• Plenty of discussion throughout

4. Sli.do – vote now
Do you have a school emergency plan?
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

5. School Emergency Plan
• What’s its purpose?
• When would you use it?
• What should a good plan contain?

6. School Emergency Plan
Case study
It is 11.15am and your school fire alarm sounds. It won’t stop
sounding and the engineer is on site quickly. The only way it
can be stopped is to disable it with a view to fixing it in two
days time
You have no working fire alarm…

7. School Emergency Plan
Case study
• What are you going to do?
• What risks need managing?
• What stakeholders/others would be interested in this news?

8. School Emergency Plan
So what should a good plan contain?
• Crisis Management Team - Roles and responsibilities
• Leading and co-ordinating
• Record keeping
• Business continuity
• Media and comms management
• Agreed meeting venue

9. School Emergency Plan
So what should a good plan contain (cont.)?
• Assigning staff to the emergency team
• SBM/bursar
• Site manager
• Who else?
• Lockdown approach

10. School Emergency Plan
So what should a good plan contain (cont.)?
• Post incident support
• Training and exercise
• What else?

11. School Emergency Plan
When might the plan be used?
• Stranger on site
• Child death
• School bus accident
• Rodents…?
• What else?

12. Crisis management
Simple principles
Prevention
Readiness
Response
Reflection

13. Crisis management
Simple principles
Prevention
• Identify and mitigate risk
Readiness
• Draft your plan
• Create and train your team
• Inform staff, pupils and parents

14. Crisis management
Simple principles
Response
• Follow your plan
• Use your team and other agencies
• React to the information you have and implement

15. Crisis management
Simple principles
Reflection (after the event)
• Counselling and support for pupils and staff
• Post incident reflection:
• What went well
• What could go better
• What changes do make?

16. Case study one
Stranger on site
A man is wandering around the school grounds during lesson
time. He looks to be in his 20s and scruffily dressed. His
intentions are unclear.
What would you do?

17. Case study one
Stranger on site
The Site Manager asks the man what he is doing. The man
apologies and leaves.

18. Case study two
Stranger on site
A man is wandering around the school grounds during lesson
time. He looks to be in his 20s and scruffily dressed. His
intentions are unclear.
The Site Manager asks the man what he is doing. The man
attacks the Site Manager causing visible injury. The Site
Manager makes it back into school.

19. Sli.do – vote now
Would you go to lockdown at this point?
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

20. Case study two
Stranger on site
You go to lockdown. An ambulance is required for the staff
member. You also call the police. The stranger, now visibly
agitated, continues to wander around the site.
11 minutes after the Site Manager was assaulted, a parent
calls. Her child videoed the assault, sent it to her and
uploaded it to Facebook.
Emergency services are yet to arrive

21. Case study two
Stranger on site
Three minutes later, the police and ambulance arrive – four
police cars with lights and sirens, nine officers. A video of
their arrival finds its way online and you receive a call from a
freelance reporter.

22. Case study two
Stranger on site
The police Taser the stranger and remove him from the school
site.
Now what?

23. Case study three
School minibus crash
Your school minibus driver calls to say he’s crashed 90 miles
away on the M1. There are 11 pupils and three staff on board.
The minibus has the school name and logo on the side and is
clearly visible in the photos sent to you by your driver to show
you the extent of the damage
What do you need to know now and what would you do next?

24. Crisis management in schools
Final tips
• Have a plan and a team ready
• Ensure staff, pupils and parents know about it
• Train the key staff and consider a training exercise
• Comms is a crucial role – appoint the right person
• Keep insurers in mind – they may need to know early on

25. www.brownejacobson.com/education

26. Please note
The information contained in these notes is based on the
position at March 2018. It does, of course, only represent a
summary of the subject matter covered and is not intended to
be a substitute for detailed advice. If you would like to discuss
any of the matters covered in further detail, our team would
be happy to do so.
© Browne Jacobson LLP 2018. Browne Jacobson LLP is a
limited liability partnership.