School alarm or evacuation: what parents, pupils and teachers should do

Alarm or evacuation at your child's school: what to do, step by step

⏱ 3 min read

What the school does, what you and your child do. Below: what to do right away, what next, when to call 112 and what to avoid. The same instructions are in the free SurvivalZone.app and work without internet.

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First, right now

Do not drive straight to the school and do not call your child or the teacher. During an alarm parents do not collect children until the school asks them to. Roads must stay clear for the emergency services.
Follow official messages only: the school's message (app, text), public alerts and the radio.
Go to collect your child only when the school tells you where and when. Take your ID: children are only handed over to authorised adults.

Then

During an air raid alarm children usually stay inside the building, in a designated safe place, and teachers take a register. This is safer than going outside.
In a fire, children leave with their class for the assembly point and wait to be counted. The siren stopping does not mean the alarm is over: the head teacher announces that.
If your child has a phone, they can send a short "I'm safe" message when the teacher allows it. Do not call them during the alarm.
Teachers: stop the lesson, take the class list and lead the class calmly along the escape route. Close the door but do not lock it. At the assembly point count the children and report anyone missing to the head.
Afterwards, talk calmly with your child about what happened and praise them for listening to the teacher.

When to call 112

You see a danger the emergency services may not know about, such as smoke, fire or a person with a weapon. Do not call 112 to ask about your child: the school will tell you.

What not to do

Do not take your child from the assembly point without telling the teacher. Otherwise the child will be reported missing.
Do not pass on rumours from social media, and do not send them to your child.
Children do not go back for bags or phones and do not use the lift.

Frequently asked questions

Can I collect my child from school during an alarm?

Not until the school asks you to. Official guidance asks parents not to collect children during an alarm, so roads stay clear for the emergency services. Children are cared for by teachers in a safe place.

Where are children during an air raid alarm?

Usually inside the school, in a designated safe place such as a windowless corridor or a basement. Teachers check attendance against the class list.

How do I prepare my child for a school alarm?

Teach them the siren signals and the rules: stay with the teacher, never go back for belongings, use the stairs. Agree on a family password and a meeting point.

Keep it on your phone

SurvivalZone.app is a free app for every emergency, with no account and no app store. It works without internet and shows the nearest shelters and help points, local radio, a 72-hour plan and a mountain trip planner.

Open SurvivalZone.app

Thank you for reading. If this could help someone, send it to the people you care about. Getting ready takes a moment, and in a crisis every minute counts.

Coming soon: the app’s permanent address will be survivalzone.app.

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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.