British Schools Increase Lockdown Drills After Rise in Violence and Threats

British schools have adopted lockdown procedures that require pupils to hide in designated areas when an alarm sounds. The measures respond to student violence, adult intruders and hoax threats. The Association of School and College Leaders says many schools now maintain emergency protocols after incidents of youth violence and security breaches.

GB News reported more than 15 major school lockdowns or safety scares since January 2025.

Week counted 117 lockdown cases between January and September 2024, affecting about 100,000 pupils. Thirty-eight percent of those cases involved off-campus events such as weapon sightings. In 2023/24, more than 3,200 knife or weapons offences by children aged 10 to 17 resulted in cautions or sentences, according to the Youth Justice Board for England.

Yesterday, a 14-year-old girl was charged with attempted murder after three people were stabbed at Co-op Academy in Manchester. Last month, Cedar Mount Academy in Manchester placed pupils under desks after a water pistol was mistaken for a firearm. In September 2024, armed police and a helicopter responded to Abbeyfield School in Northamptonshire after reports of masked men carrying knives.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools face occasional threats and keep lockdown procedures under review. A National Education Union spokesman stated schools are generally safe but must maintain plans for various threats.

Wayne Bates of the NASUWT union said some schools lack lockdown procedures and current guidance appears to discourage drills in primary settings. The Department for Education said its guidance supports schools with security measures and emergency procedures that can be adapted to local circumstances.