We take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the premises when we are delivering ARTventurers sessions. Parents are informed about the procedures through the website.

At ARTventurers we run sessions in a variety of settings, including our own ARTspace premises, hired community spaces eg church halls, manned community buildings and schools and nurseries. In schools, nurseries and manned community buildings, in the event of an emergency requiring a full lockdown, we will follow the lockdown procedures implemented by the setting or venue.

For each venue that we use, we have a venue safety assessment and this includes an assessment of access arrangements and exits at the building.

In our own venues (hired or otherwise), in the event of an emergency requiring a full lock down, the following procedures will be implemented. 

Lock down procedure

We will use the lock down procedure when the safety of the children, parents, leaders and others on the premises are at risk and we are better placed to remain inside the current building, with doors and windows locked and blinds/curtains drawn. 

We will activate this emergency procedure in response to a number of situations, but some of the more typical might be:

• A report incident or disturbance in the local community (with potential to pose a risk to leaders, parents and children attending the session)
• An intruder on site (with potential to pose a risk to leaders, parents and children attending the session)
• A warning being received regarding a risk locally, of air pollution (smoke plumes, gas cloud etc.)
• A major fire or explosion in the vicinity of the venue – as long as it is safer staying in the premises than leaving. 

All individuals (including children) will remain in the area they are in, if safe to do so. The class leader will make efforts to close and lock doors wherever safe to do so. 

All individuals will keep away from the windows and doors and children will be occupied in the centre of the room so they are not placed at risk or are able to see any situation developing outside.

Internal communications will be kept to a minimum.  Communication between rooms or outside the venue will be through mobile devices.

The leader will ensure all children, parents and visitors are accounted for using the class register for reference.

If the venue is in immediate danger of an intruder, the police will be called as a matter of urgency. In other cases where the situation has been alerted by the police or local area authority then the leader will await further instructions.

Once the all clear has been given externally the leader will issue the all clear internally.

Parents not on site will be informed about the situation at the earliest safest opportunity and will be kept updated when the information changes. 

After the event a post-incident evaluation will be conducted to ensure that the procedure went as planned.