Dubai English Speaking School and College (DESSC)

The challenge

The Dubai English Speaking School and College (DESSC) is the oldest English school in Dubai and caters for the full age range of students from reception to Sixth form. In the light of an ever-changing threat landscape, DESSC were conscious of the need to demonstrate that the protection and safeguarding of its staff and pupils is a priority by strengthening their crisis management framework and capability. Recognising the need to embrace external expertise, they tasked Cognitas Global to help them assess their risk planning, policies and procedures and to train and exercise their team.

Our solution

Working with the Senior Management Team at DESSC, our first role was to assess the current risks facing DESSC and review their existing crisis management framework. We then jointly drafted an updated comprehensive crisis management plan that better reflected the current risk environment and mitigating control measures, which would provide clear guidance on how multiple types of emergency should be handled.

Being very aware that a crisis management document alone isn’t likely to be at hand to the right people in the event of an emergency, we also developed a bespoke mobile phone App, incident360. This App takes the content of a crisis management plan and turns it into an easily accessible format for use by the crisis team in the event of an actual incident. With essential information, checklists, logging and mapping functionality, the effective management and subsequent review of an incident is facilitated and enhanced.

The results

Having created a training and exercising program for the Senior Management Teams (SLT) at the School and College, we delivered two onsite immersive exercises to each SLT using our View360Global platform. The experiential learning exercises were mapped against the risk register and crisis management plans which tested the designated Crisis Management Teams’ individual and collective responsibilities.

By delivering an exercise that simulated a key risk to the organisation, it further informed the enhancing of additional policies and procedures as part of the ongoing crisis management review process. Most importantly for the organisation, it is now able demonstrate its robust approach to the safety of its staff and pupils to its stakeholders and the wider educational community.