Providing a safe and secure environment in schools
UK schools are frequently finding themselves the focus of much media attention when there has been a serious breach of security and pupil safety has been put at risk.
Schools, nurseries, colleges and universities across the world have been witness to multiple incidents in recent years and again it forces us to question: can we do more to ensure a safe and secure environment for pupils and teachers within our educational institutions?
Places of learning are frequently investing in products and services to help ensure the continued safety of pupils. It is important that decision makers adopt a responsible approach to ensure maximum protection, whilst ensuring the best use of available funding. Head teachers, facilities teams, the governing body and the LEA alike are increasingly under pressure to implement a cost effective and robust school security strategy.
Schools have a basic duty of care to ensure pupils remain safe throughout the duration of their school visit, keeping them protected from unwanted intruders and away from any danger. Schools are also required to provide plans to prevent vandalism and theft outside of school hours.
Protecting vulnerable groups
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act was first introduced in 2006. The Act is designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from risk of harm by preventing exposure to individuals deemed unsuitable through their place of work. As a result all schools should ensure that contractors are checked and cleared by the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau). In addition schools must ensure they implement a satisfactory school security plan and provide the required training for key individuals and personnel.
Training and emergency planning
Professional development training for school administrators, teachers, school safety officials, school support staff, pupils and parents is fundamental in the prevention and ability to manage school violence, reduce security risks and liability, and crisis preparedness. All professionals within the education sector should be taught balanced, practical and common sense measures to prevent security risks and how to deal with specific situations should they occur.
Access control
There are many processes to be considered when implementing a security strategy, such as physical perimeter security measures. An effective access control system can be designed into the overall perimeter security architecture. However, when implementing such a system it is imperative that it covers all areas of possible access, including the most out of sight and unusual areas. Likewise, such a systems needs to incorporate access for pupils from some unlikely avenues, such as a local footpath.
Further to a designated access control system, schools may consider a number of different measures to help manage who is on the premises, such as surveillance cameras, physical security such as window and door locks, entry systems such as turnstiles and intruder alarms.
Visitor management system
Once on the premises access to the school building should be strictly prohibited except for via the main reception. At this point all visitors should be challenged and asked the reason for their visit prior to being granted access to the site.
A measure implemented by many schools is a visitor management system. Dependant on the number of visitors each day, this system can take a variety of formats, including both manual and electronic systems.
A cost-effective manual visitor management system will enable schools to provide visible identification for the visitor and create an instant fire evacuation list should the need arise. A hand-written visitor system can incorporate high levels of security techniques such as CopyVoid, which is used to prevent passes from fraudulent photocopies. Each time a pass is copied, the word ’VOID’ appears, rendering it useless. Time-dependant ink is a further security feature which, after a set period (typically 24hrs), will appear with the word expired, ensuring the pass has a clearly defined lifespan. These features can be used to help prevent contractors, for example, from accessing the site after their contract has expired.
Alternatively, schools with a higher number of visitors’ may opt for an electronic visitor management solution. With such a system you can provide fully personalised visitor identification, and incorporate photograph and signature capture. Electronic visitor management systems can also accommodate a comprehensive database of visitor details and a detailed reporting facility. This customisable reporting facility allows detailed activity and cost analysis.
Conclusion
Whilst there are many solutions available to help improve the security within schools, it is paramount that schools should take a long term view on the investment and select products which offer a long life expectancy.
It is important that schools recognise that security awareness and threat prevention is a process which needs to be demonstrated by all, including front of house personnel, security staff and employees throughout an organisation. Gone are the days when security cameras and lighting were sufficient to deter security threats. A pro-active approach must be taken at all times and professional and effective processes must be adhered to.
Published May 2010
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