It’s been a week since the incident at college, and in that time we’ve taken a close look at our safety measures and processes to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep your child safe.
We’re confident we now have a robust plan in place to ensure learners are kept safe at all times, including if we ever needed to go into lockdown again.
In the past week we’ve doing maintenance on our lockdown system to make sure that our alarms are in good working order. We’ve identified a bit more work that needs to be done, but in the meantime, we have put in place a robust temporary system that we are confident will keep everyone safe.
Alongside this, we’ve consulted with Thames Valley Police about our student search policy and will be strengthening our approach to checking students where we have concerns that someone may be carrying a bladed item. Where necessary we will also involve police in searches.
These steps are about keeping everyone safe, and we’ll continue to act quickly and responsibly whenever needed. However, we need our learners to play their part.
Jokes or throwaway comments about having a knife, even if meant in fun, won’t be taken lightly. They will trigger avoidable checks and divert attention from real concerns. Helping us keep the college safe means taking these matters seriously.
In addition to this immediate work, we’re also carrying out a more comprehensive review of our safety procedures. This may lead to further measures being introduced, and we’ll keep you updated on any outcomes or changes that come from that process.
We hope that your child continues to feel safe at college. If you have any concerns then please speak to your child’s tutor or the college’s Safeguarding Team.
Take care,
Michelle Parks
Director responsible Reading College and University Centre