Critical Incident / Emergency Closures / Business Continuity

All schools must inform the LA of any school closures as soon as possible by emailing education@hillingdon.gov.uk

LBH Critical Incident Policy

LBH Critical Incident Policy 2024 v3 LEAP (PDF, 361 KB)

Critical Incident Contacts for printing: Critical Incident Contacts List for LEAP (PDF, 83 KB)

Reporting a Critical Incident

Dial 999 and request the relevant emergency service, making sure to provide the exact nature of the incident and the location as a priority (if appropriate).

Please inform education@hillingdon.gov.uk and the Stronger Families Hub as soon as possible.

You must let the Council know, so they can provide you with support and liaise with other local agencies that may be involved. The Educational Psychology Service provide training on dealing with critical incidents.

Job title	Name	Contact details
LA Officer Support
Director of Education & SEND	Abi Preston	apreston@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 01895 250286
Principal Educational Psychologist	Ingrida Stankeviciene	istankeviciene@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 01895 558101
Head of Education	Michael Hawkins	mhawkins@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 01895 556 084 / 07542 855595
Stronger Families Hub Head of first response and out of hours	Stronger Families Hub Anthony Madden	lbhmash@hillingdon.gov.uk strongerfamilieshub@hillingdon.gov.uk 01895 556006 amadden@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 01895 556 006
Lead Child Protection Schools & Deputy LADO	Nicole Diamond	ndiamond@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 07943 097366
Assistant Director of Education	Kathryn Angelini	Kangelini@hillingdon.gov.uk Tel: 07850 075034
Communications Support
Hillingdon Communications Team	corporatecommunications@hillingdon.gov.uk or call 01895 250403 (9am-5.30pm) or 01895 250111 (out of hours)
Met Police Comms Bureau	DMC-Mailbox-.PressBureau-DMC@met.police.uk - 0207 2302171 (do not use tel unless critical). If live police investigation, contact the Bureau instead of LBH comms but please 'cc' LBH Comms (above)
Signposting for Schools
Safehaven - Chargeable service for critical incident counselling https://safehaven.co.uk - 0161 635 1010 School Resources on Traumatic Death of a Child: For schools \| Cruse Bereavement Care Cruse - support for grief - 0808 8081677 Kooth Website: kooth.com Free, safe and anonymous online counselling support for young people aged between 10 and 25. Available Monday to Friday 12pm-10pm and Saturday to Sunday 6pm-10pm. Young Minds Crisis Messenger Text: Text SHOUT to 85258 24-hour text support for young people experiencing a mental health crisis.

CRITICAL INCIDENT RAPID CHECK LIST FOR HEADTEACHERS

(action will depend on the nature of the incident)

*ENSURE THAT A FULL LOG IS KEPT OF ALL ACTIONS TAKEN AS THEY HAPPEN AS WELL AS ALL INFORMATION RECEIVED*

Ensure that all staff and pupils are in a place of safety and security.
Have emergency services been called?
- fire
- police
- ambulance
Inform the LA using the contact list.
Ensure that all staff and pupils are accounted for.
Inform the Chair of Governors and other governors as soon as possible.
Set up a CRITICAL INCIDENT SUPPORT TEAM
Seek urgent advice from Hillingdon Council Communications unit and arrange who will deal with the media, give interviews and prepare press statements.
Arrange how parents will be contacted.
Ensure that there are suitable phones available for outgoing calls e.g. ex- directory or mobile.
Decide if there is a need to contact community or religious leaders.
Decide if counselling support is needed.
Consider, as soon as possible, a schedule for recovery.
Ensure that there is constant and consistent communication with staff.
Consider if information is already out on social media.
Consider arrangements for school meals.
Consider whether transport arrangements need to be altered.
If appropriate, determine the funeral arrangements and decide which staff and pupils will attend.

Business Continuity

The Department for Education (DfE) advises schools and colleges to maintain a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure they can continue operating during major incidents such as fire, IT failure, or loss of facilities. The plan should identify critical functions, systems, and resources, assess associated risks and outline clear procedures for response and recovery. DfE guidance emphasises prioritising essential services, balancing potential disruption against the ability to function, and using practical templates and checklists to support effective planning, regular review, and staff preparedness.

The DfE's emergency planning guidance provides further guidance and support.

Please also see: School and college security for guidance to help schools and colleges manage their security effectively so they can meet their obligations.