The Culture of Security: A Priority for Everyone
The safety of our students and staff is a priority for the French International School. The safety of both children and adults relies on the dissemination of a common culture throughout the educational community, including students, staff, and parents. In case of an emergency, everyone should be able to rely on clear reflex actions and an organisation suited to all risks.
The PPMS (Specific Safety/Security Plan) of the school is evaluated every year and updated if necessary. This year, two situational exercises will be organised to verify the proper implementation of PPMS plan. The goal is to help students and staff understand their environment in a crisis situation and to create automatic responses.
These automatic responses are particularly necessary for our students. Most of them are frequent travelers, and airports are identified as high-risk areas, as are certain countries they travel to.
During the exercises, particular emphasis will be placed on:
- Recognising the sound of the alarm and the end of the alarm;
- Discovering the routes to follow within the buildings and the school premises;
- Identifying places for lockdown and hiding spots, as well as potential exits;
- Locating objects that can be used to barricade and protect oneself.
For primary school, teachers are already working on training sessions to ensure that these exercises are conducted calmly and that all students, regardless of age, can manage the stress of these situations effectively.
Parents and students will be informed of the dates of these exercises. The first exercise, related to major risks identified in Hong Kong, is scheduled for the end of February 2025, and the second, in case of an intrusion, is planned for the end of March 2025.
By Meriem Belhadj, Marion Coupat, Ross Armitage, Mark Williams
