Further resources: security advice and guidance
Updated 9 October 2023
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-security/further-resources-security-advice-and-guidance
Act for Youth
Act for Youth: run, hide tell
Counter Terrorism Police have now launched the first ever safety campaign to take terrorism safety advice into the UK’s classrooms and youth organisations.
Collaborating with specialists from the PSHE Association and Girlguiding, this resource is designed to be used to teach 11-16 year olds how to act in the unlikely event that when out of school or college they are caught in a gun or knife attack. The Act for Youth campaign reinvents the successful ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ public information films for a new generation and includes an animated core film to show pupils what to do if they see suspicious behaviour or a suspicious item.
Behaviour and discipline
Behaviour and discipline in schools
Guidance for school leaders and staff on developing a school behaviour policy, and a checklist of actions to take to encourage good behaviour.
Creating a culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour
Tom Bennett’s independent review on behaviour in schools and the government’s response.
Use of reasonable force in schools
Guidance for governing bodies, headteachers and school staff explains about the use of physical restraint in schools.
Searching, screening and confiscation at school
Guidance explaining the powers schools have to screen and search pupils, and to confiscate items they find.
Bomb threats and malicious communications
Procedures for handling bomb threats
This guidance explains what to do if a bomb threat or other malicious communication is received.
Screening suspicious mail
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) advice on handling post.
Child exploitation
Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines
Guidance for frontline professionals on dealing with county lines, part of the government’s approach to ending gang violence and exploitation
Safeguarding children who may have been trafficked
Guidance for those working with children who may have been recruited or transported for the purposes of exploitation
Controlling access to school premises
Controlling access to school premises
Advice on access to, and barring of individuals from, school premises.
Crowded Places Information Exchange (CPIE)
ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) case study
NaCTSO and the CPIE’s e-learning course to help individuals within UK businesses better understand and mitigate against terrorism.
The e-learning includes interactive video scenarios and instructional tutorials, with modules covering key areas such as identifying security vulnerabilities, responding to suspicious behaviour, dealing with a suspicious item, how to deal with a bomb threat, and responding to firearms or weapons attacks.
Drugs
Drugs: advice for schools
Guidance for school leaders and staff on managing drugs, drug-related incidents within schools and pastoral support for pupils.
Drug strategy 2017
How the government and its partners, at local, national and international levels, will take new action to reduce drug misuse and the harms it causes.
Emergency planning guidance
Emergency planning and response
How schools and other educational settings should plan for and deal with emergencies, including severe weather and floods.
Educational visits
Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel: Visits and the threat from terrorism
This guidance offers some suggestions about how to prepare, and be safe, if a school visit is to a place where there is a threat of terrorism.
The OEAP also provides guidance on handling emergencies on visits and residential stays.
Gang crime
Advice to schools and colleges on gangs and youth violence
Guidance for leaders, senior teams and staff in schools or colleges that are affected by gang or youth violence. When developing an approach, it is recommended that schools and colleges discuss ways to address youth violence with local police and community safety partners, as well as other local educational institutions.
Good estate management
Good estate management for schools
Policies and processes that schools, academies and multi-academy trusts should consider when managing their estates.
Hate crime
Racist and religious hate crime
How to recognise and report a hate crime.
Health and safety
Health and safety at work legislation
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (also referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA) is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive, with local authorities (and other enforcing authorities) is responsible for enforcing it and a number of other legislation relevant to the working environment.
Health and safety: advice for schools
Advice for schools and colleges about their responsibilities and duties in respect of trips and other out of school or college activities.
Employer’s responsibilities
Employer’s responsibilities in relation to health and safety management.
Education
Guidance about having a sensible approach to risk management in schools for pupils and staff.
School trips
This guidance encourages schools to make more planned school visits.
Risk - controlling the risks in the workplace
Guidance outlining a 5-stage risk management process.
Media handling
Handling media attention after a major incident
How to handle attention from the media.
National Counter Terrorism Security Office
Protecting crowded places
This guidance is aimed at those with a responsibility for security at crowded places and those who own or run businesses, organisations, amenities or utilities.
Developing dynamic lockdown procedures
How to develop procedures to dynamically lockdown sites in response to a fast moving incident such as a firearms or weapons attack.
Help and support after a traumatic event
Guidance from the NHS on recognising and dealing with trauma after a major incident.
Police in the classroom
Police in the classroom
The PSHE Association and NPCC’s guidance on using police expertise to support delivery of the PSHE curriculum.
Radicalisation
Prevent duty guidance
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 contains a duty on specified authorities to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This is also know as the Prevent duty.
Protecting children from radicalisation: the prevent duty
Guidance for schools about protecting children from radicalisation.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
Safety and disaster management
Information on planning in advance and anticipating as many health and safety scenarios in schools as possible.
This also includes a section on disaster planning and is an extension of the risk assessment procedure. It is essential to reducing the management of a disaster and making decisions at a time when it is difficult. As with all RoSPA guidance, this should be used in conjunction with local authority advice, and any other specialised guidance from professional bodies.
Safeguarding
Keeping children safe in education
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment. Schools and colleges must have regard to it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Working together to safeguard children
Guidance explaining the legislative requirements and expectations on individual services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and a clear framework for Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) to monitor the effectiveness of local services.
School staffing advice
Staffing and employment advice for schools
This guidance is to help manage staff and employment issues. It draws attention to relevant legislation and sources of up-to-date guidance and advice that employers need to consider, some of which may be statutory guidance.
Support for victims of terrorism
Support for victims of terrorism
This website contains information about where to seek advice and assistance following a terrorist attack. It also provides details of official helplines and support services available to victims, survivors, witnesses, family members, and all those affected.
Serious violence
Advice to schools and colleges on gangs and youth violence
Guidance on serious violence involving young people inside and outside schools and colleges.
Read also the serious violence strategy that sets out the government’s response to serious violence and recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide.
Violence in the workplace
Personal security
HSE provides numerous pieces of guidance about handling work related violence including setting up policies, how it should be managed and providing support after a major incident: