Lockdown procedures changed at trust after 'mob' of parents stormed Walsall school
An academy trust has changed its approach to lockdown procedures after an incident at a Walsall school which saw a "mob" of parents make their way on site - with some alleged to have pulled children through ground-floor windows.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Bloxwich Academy was placed into lockdown conditions on February 1, 2024, after it was wrongly believed that an intruder had got onto the site.
Matrix Academy Trust, which runs the Leamore Lane school, said in a statement on the day of the incident that despite parents being sent text messages to confirm that the lockdown was lifted, many gathered outside.
The trust claimed some parents were "encouraging children to climb the security fencing" and were even seen "dragging" pupils over the fences and "pulling" youngsters through ground-floor windows.
Following the incident, Matrix Academy Trust has been working with West Midlands Police to change how it approaches lockdown procedures, which it has implemented in all of its schools including at Wednesfield Academy in Wolverhampton, Bloxwich Academy and Barr Beacon School in Walsall.
The new lockdown procedure, called a 'Smart Response', is broken down into five phases, starting at 'level zero' where a potential threat is identified by staff.
It then moves to 'level one' where the situation is investigated, 'level two' where staff take positions around the school, 'level three' where the site is partially secured and, if necessary, the school eventually enters 'level four' where it is placed into a full lockdown.
