School-links Emergency Alerts keep community informed
Cambridge Middle School went into lockdown at approximately 2.45pm, just prior to the end of the school day. The lockdown stemmed from a call from the police to advise of a police operation near the school. They recommended that Cambridge Middle School, along with three other schools, go into lockdown as a precautionary measure.
The school took immediate action upon receiving this advice and the school was locked down with all staff and students remaining inside the buildings until they were notified as to when they could come out of lockdown. The lockdown ended at approximately 3.30pm without incident.
The school utilised School-links to keep the community up to date on the situation. The automated daily data synchronisation between the school's SMS and School-links meant that all contact information was up to date. Parents, caregivers – and staff – were able to be informed via text message and email within minutes, and kept informed as to further developments.
Approximately 1400 messages were sent on multiple communication channels in a couple of clicks. Critically, it meant that parents who had already come to collect their children remained in their vehicles and didn’t interfere with the work of the emergency services.
Cambridge Middle School received wholly positive feedback from relieved parents and caregivers, who did not have to search social media for the latest information but were able to rely on clear and accurate messaging from the school leadership team.
Julie Dawick, Deputy Principal at Cambridge Middle School says of School-links, “Just do it. You have to be prepared for situations that are outside of your control. It was so reassuring that we had School-links. We knew we’d got this and could concentrate on the situation at hand.”