From the Deputy Principal

Emergency Procedures at Redlands

At Redlands, our first priority is safety. In the coming weeks we will be conducting Lockdown and Evacuation Drills on both Sydney campuses – Junior and Senior – as part of our ongoing Emergency Training procedures.

As a School we have an Emergency Planning Committee, we have extensive emergency management plans in place, we train our students and staff, we conduct planned drills periodically and reflect and analyse when unplanned evacuations occur.

Our Plans

The School works with emergency management specialists to develop and implement safety procedures, and the goals of drills throughout the year are to improve our ability to protect students, save lives, and reduce injuries, in the event of an emergency situation. These practice drills allow us to evaluate our emergency response plans and improve our response skills.

We do not generally announce in advance whether a lockdown or evacuation is a planned exercise. It is essential for the safety of our students, staff and any campus visitors that they are very familiar with our processes and can perform the required steps to complete a safe lockdown or evacuation without forewarning. In the case of younger children, we practise these more frequently and in varying formats so that they are not unduly alarmed.

On both our Senior and Junior Campuses, students have been reminded about what to do in the case of a lockdown or an evacuation and all new students are provided with this information when they start at the School. This information is also contained in the front section of the Student Planner.

Communication

• Students are not, under any circumstances, permitted to use their mobile phone during a lockdown or an evacuation.
• We would usually not communicate to parents that we are undertaking a lockdown or evacuation unless it resulted in a serious emergency requiring a longer disruption to the School day.
• If an emergency situation does continue to disrupt the day, the School will communicate to parents via SMS if it is safe to do so.
• In the case of an emergency situation requiring parents to collect their children, the School will communicate to parents with specific details about pickup arrangements.

Site Access

No person may enter or leave the site during an evacuation or lockdown, including students, staff, parent visitors or helpers. If you are onsite during an evacuation or lockdown, you must follow the instructions of the staff, in particular the wardens (wearing coloured safety helmets). If you arrive whilst an evacuation or lockdown is in place, please wait patiently until it has concluded and it is deemed safe to enter the site.

Please talk with your child about the reason for these drills. Our goal, while practising important safety procedures, is to be sure all students feel safe and confident in how to respond. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher (Junior Campus) or Tutor (Senior Campus).

Mr Sean Corcoran
Deputy Principal