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School alarm: how to prepare your child and family

⏱ 3 min read

School procedures, talking to your child, collection. A guide based on official advice. The same text is in the free SurvivalZone.app and works without internet.

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When a school raises an alarm, your child is in the teachers' care. You help most by learning the school's rules in advance and practising them with your child.

Official guidance is clear: during an alarm children stay at school, and parents do not collect them until the school asks.

Ask the school

  1. What happens during an alarm and an evacuation, where the assembly point is and where you collect your child.
  2. How the school contacts parents: app, text message, website.
  3. Whether the school has your current phone numbers and the list of adults allowed to collect your child.
  4. If your child takes regular medicines or has an allergy or diabetes: whether the school knows.

Teach your child

  1. The siren signals used where you live, and that a teacher will tell them what to do.
  2. The rule: I stay with my teacher and do what they say.
  3. I never go back for my bag or phone. I use the stairs, not the lift.
  4. If I get lost: I stay where I am and ask a teacher or someone in uniform for help.
  5. 112 is for emergencies that threaten life, health or property.

Prepare together

  1. A family plan: who collects your child and where you meet if phones do not work.
  2. A family password for when your child has to go with someone they do not know.
  3. A card with your phone numbers in your child's bag. Do not post a photo of it online.

For teachers and head teachers

  1. Keep the class list to hand, including on school trips.
  2. Practise not only evacuation but also sheltering in a safe place inside the building.
  3. Plan help for pupils with special needs, for example an assigned buddy.
  4. Meet parents and explain the procedures. Parents who know them do not drive to the school during an alarm.

Checklist

  1. I know the alarm procedure at my child's school
  2. I know where to collect my child
  3. School has my current numbers
  4. My child knows the siren signals
  5. Family password agreed
  6. Card with numbers in the school bag

See also

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask the school?

About the alarm and evacuation procedure, the assembly and collection points, how parents are informed and who is allowed to collect your child.

How do I talk to my child about alarms?

Calmly and simply. Explain the siren signals and one clear rule: I stay with my teacher.

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Sources

Official sources are checked automatically every day. Last check: 2026-11-04.

General guidance only; it does not replace the emergency services. If a life is in danger, call 112.