WREN ACADEMIES TRUST

WREN ACADEMY FINCHLEY

SECURITY POLICY

REVIEW DATE: SPRING 2024

1. Introduction

Wren Academy is a public site. We want our community to find the school welcoming and
accessible. Whilst recognising the communal nature of the site however, we must be ever
vigilant and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of students, staff and other users
of the facilities.

This policy covers a broad range of risks. In a school such as Wren, the most likely
breaches of security might result in petty theft or perhaps rudeness or intimidating behaviour
towards staff. We must not however ignore the possibility that more serious threats may
occur and the policy covers approaches to security which minimise the likelihood and
potential severity of such incidents too.

It is crucial to make clear at the outset of this document that helping make the Academy
secure is a core responsibility of all members of staff. We may ask students to keep an eye
out for open gates or intruders on site but, ultimately, whether they do so or not is optional.
Security consciousness is not an option for staff and the Governing Body expects all staff
employed by Wren Academy to have read this policy and to abide by its contents.

It is also clear that there is an element of professional judgement running through this
document. It is impossible to be prescriptive about questions like 'when does an incident
appear serious?' or 'when does someone's behaviour become threatening?’ In applying the
policy, colleagues are requested to be proactive, using their common sense and professional
judgement. When in doubt, colleagues should err on the side of caution.

2. Responsibilities of staff on site

All staff at Wren Academy must do the following:

• ensure that gates are closed behind them when they enter or leave the site. Staff
arriving should only allow anyone to enter with them if they then take responsibility
for that person and escort them to Reception. If staff ever arrive at the site to find a
gate open, then they must close it.
• challenge any person they encounter on the site who is not wearing a visitor's badge.
People who have entered the site without signing in should be escorted to Reception.
Any person without a bona fide reason to be on site should be escorted to the gate.
If any intruder to the site presents a challenge in their language or physical
behaviour, then the support of a senior member of staff should be sought
immediately.
• there may be occasions when visitors who have signed in as required subsequently
behave in a threatening manner. A protocol for managing meetings so as to
minimise risk can be found in the Staff Handbook. An underpinning principle is that

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 1 of 6
 colleagues should seek support immediately if they feel themselves or others to be at
any risk.
• if a visitor or intruder is judged to pose a physical threat to members of the Academy
community or to the fabric of the school, a member of ALT should be told in order
that they may intervene and, if necessary, call the police. In an emergency, any
member of staff is expected to call the police and not to rely upon someone else to
do so.

3. Conduct of staff on off-site duties

Off site duties are timetabled at the beginning and end of the Academy day. There will also
be occasions when ad hoc off site duties take place (e.g. patrols to local shopping precincts).
Staff on any such duties should follow this guidance:
• routine duties are usually carried out by a single colleague. This colleague should
carry a mobile 'phone and a walkie-talkie.
• if an incident is anticipated, colleagues should not be on duty alone. It is the
responsibility of the Principal to ensure that the number of staff on duty is adequate.
• any intelligence received which anticipates a serious incident should be passed on to
the police and, if appropriate, other local schools.
• if an incident occurs, or seems likely, the member(s) of staff on duty should contact
Reception by walkie-talkie. It is the responsibility of Reception to immediately inform
the Principal or, in their absence, the Vice Principal.
• there may be occasions where a member of staff on duty intervenes physically in an
incident to prevent harm coming to a student or member of the public. Such action is
not prohibited but colleagues must always assess the risk to themselves and await
assistance if at all possible.

4. Visitor protocol

All visitors to the Academy will be subject to appropriate security checks. Our procedure for
welcoming visitors is described in Annex 1.

5. Responding to security emergencies

In an extreme circumstance, the school may be subjected to a security emergency. This

may take the form of a credible bomb threat or an armed intruder on the school site.

Wren Academy's buildings are not designed to effect a rigorous security lockdown
procedure. The school is largely open plan and classrooms have vision panels and thin stud
walls. The main focus of our security policy must therefore be to keep intruders from
accessing the site because if they were to gain access our ability to respond robustly is
limited.

In the case of a credible bomb threat students will normally be requested to exit the building
in accordance with our established fire evacuation procedures while the police and fire
service are called. All Reception staff have received appropriate training in assessing
telephone threats.

The management of an armed intruder(s) on site is more problematic. In such a situation

communication would be of utmost importance and it would be the responsibility of senior
staff to keep in contact by mobile 'phone and walkie-talkie.

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 2 of 6
The first step on identifying a potentially dangerous intruder would be to contact the police
and then to inform senior colleagues. If possible, lights in the Academy should be turned off.
We will endeavour to have senior staff situated in all of the Academy's buildings in an
attempt to monitor the emerging situation. Senior staff will be responsible for getting
messages to teachers to initially stay in their classrooms with the children. Based upon our
intelligence as to the number and location of the intruders, senior staff will then make a
judgement as to whether students should stay in their classrooms or evacuate. Our
preferred strategy is that students and staff should evacuate if possible. Given the dispersed
nature of the Wren Academy buildings it might be possible to evacuate some areas of the
site whilst an intruder was present in another. In this circumstance, students will be led to the
nearest perimeter gate and will congregate at Friary Park or at Woodhouse College, as
directed by senior staff.

Teachers and students remaining in classrooms will exit only on receiving an all clear or on
the direct instruction of a member of the Academy Leadership Team or a Head of House.
Whilst in classrooms, all lights are to be turned off and the door barred from the inside. The
door should be barricaded if possible and occupants of the room should take shelter behind
desks turned on their sides.

6. Management of a major security incident

A major incident would fall within the definition of a critical incident as set out in our Critical
Incident Policy. Please see this document for our communication and management
response systems to any serious incident.

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 3 of 6
 ANNEX 1

Visitor Protocol

• When making appointments, staff should inform all visitors to the Academy that they
should bring with them photo ID and ascertain whether they have been DBS
checked.
• Staff should notify Reception of all visitors expected, in advance of the appointment,
at the Academy via email to [Link]@[Link]. The email should
include the visitor’s name and the organisation they represent and their DBS status.
• Visitors who arrive unannounced are questioned over the intercom. If they have a
contact name and appointment time they will be let and Reception will verify the
appointment with the member of staff concerned. Reception will later remind the
staff member of the correct procedure. Visitors wishing to see staff and who do not
have appointments will be advised to contact the Academy by telephone and will not
be allowed on site. Visitors simply wishing to drop something off for their child will be
admitted at the discretion of Reception.
• An angry, unannounced parent will be questioned over the intercom. If Reception
are not happy with how the conversation is proceeding, a member of ALT or Head of
House will be contacted to go to the gate to speak to them.
• Visitors/students who are on site after Reception closes at 5.00pm will be escorted to
the gate by a member of staff or the Site Services team. Site Services should be
informed of all visitors/parents/events on site after 5.00pm to ensure that they leave
the Academy.
• Visitors will normally enter via the Hilton Avenue gate unless prior arrangement has
been made for them to use the car park.
• Visitor signing in. All visitors are asked to sign in and asked for their photo ID.
If it has been indicated that they have a DBS certificate, evidence of this should be
checked (for example, their DBS certificate number should be recorded in the signing
in book). Photo ID should always be handed to the member of staff on Reception
who will make a comparison between the photo and the person in Reception.
If the photos do not match, a member of ALT must be called.
Visitors will then be issued with a visitor badge which should remain visible at all
times whilst on the Academy site. They are also shown the safeguarding information
sheet. The Academy’s fire drill procedure is available at Reception for all visitors to
read. The visitor is then asked to take a seat and wait to be collected from Reception
by a member of staff.
• Contractor signing in. Site Services are radioed to verify the visit and are asked to
report to Reception immediately. The contractor is then signed in by a member of
the Site Services team and are issued with a contractor badge and escorted to the
location where they will be working.
• All visitors or contractors who leave the site during working hours are asked to sign
out, return their badge and are then directed to the gate where they are buzzed out.

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 4 of 6
 ANNEX 2

Lone Working Guidelines

Sometimes, staff may find that they are working alone in a building within the Academy,
either at the end of the day or during weekends or holidays. It is important that the
implications of this are considered in order to decide whether it is appropriate, and what
measures need to be in place to ensure your safety. Some of the things that should be
taken into account are:
• how secure is the building?
• who knows that you are there?
• how would you summon help if you needed it?
• are the tasks you are planning to undertake hazardous?
• where have you parked?
• do you know the security arrangements for the building and the procedures for the
last person to leave the room, floor and building?
• how do you contact a first aider?
• do you know the location of first aid boxes?
• do you know the fire precautions/evacuation procedures for the building?
• do you know what to do in the case of an intruder?

Some measures that you should apply are:

• always ensure a colleague knows you are in the building
• let someone know when you plan to leave and when they should expect your return
• make sure you carry your mobile phone with you
• ensure that you know the appropriate emergency numbers, particularly after
Reception has closed, and have a means of calling them
• assess if it is appropriate for you to carry out the tasks on your own
• make sure you have a well-lit route out of the building

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 5 of 6
 ANNEX 3

Protocol for Incidents Occurring on Trips

In the event of Wren students being involved in or adjacent to a major incident occurring
whilst they are out of school on a trip they should follow these procedures. As a matter of
routine, staff on trips should exchange mobile phone numbers. Students will be issued with
a staff trip mobile number to be rung in case of emergencies.

On trips where students are allowed a period of time away from the direct supervision of
staff, a designated meeting point should be identified in case of an emergency. If an
emergency occurs, if possible a member of staff should remain at this point until all students
have been accounted for. This meeting point should not be the designated security
checkpoint for a venue. Where possible, staff should also propose an alternative meeting
point should the first become impossible to reach in an emergency.

If a trip finds itself in the direct vicinity of a terrorist attack or similar emergency, the following
principles will apply:
• staff must normally keep the students together (unless in extreme circumstances
staff judge it will be best for the party to spread out)
• each group leader must be responsible for ensuring students in their group are
present and stay together
• follow police instructions if there are any
• if it is safe to move away from the scene then do so in an orderly fashion as soon as
possible
• if possible, contact Wren to inform the school of your situation

If the transport network is disrupted as the result of an incident, then staff will do the
following:
• follow police advice where it is available
• if in central London, begin walking students back towards Wren
• if possible, make contact with the Academy to make the school aware of the party's
location and planned route back.
• if coming back from central London, on making contact with Wren a team will be
despatched from school to meet the trip party and provide necessary support.

Taking student mobile numbers

Where student numbers permit (certainly with group sizes below 30 students), staff should
take a record of students’ mobile numbers. This may be done individually or staff may divide
the students into groups of three and take a number from each group.

Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God: Micah 6v8 6 of 6