Behavioural management is by no means a new challenge for schools in the UK, and most school bursars and site managers are familiar with the need to intervene to break up the occasional fight, and take action to prevent antisocial behaviour. What is more worrying, however, is the increase in dangerous and criminal behaviour within schools in some parts of the country. Between 2012 and 2015, for example, 5,500 sex crimes were reported in UK schools, and there are increasing incidents of weapons being seized by police from school pupils.
The Importance Of Safeguarding
Faced with these prevalent safety issues, safeguarding is high on the agenda of many schools. Safeguarding means not only protecting students from external threats from people outside the school, but also taking a proactive approach to safeguard the persons and property of students and staff within the school from violence and antisocial behaviour.
If known issues are unresolved or not dealt with properly, or if they become a recurrent problem, this could attract the attention of Ofsted and potentially damage the school’s reputation. Even without this, stories of antisocial behaviour – whether well founded or otherwise – can easily blacken the school’s name on social media and find their way into the local press.
Vulnerable And At-Risk Areas
The problem for school safety staff is that on duty teachers and site security cannot be everywhere at once – there simply aren’t enough resources to cover the entire campus in many large secondary schools. The solution isn’t to increase the number of teachers on shift or to invest in external security – although these tactics can help address localised antisocial behaviour in some cases, e.g. outside local shops and bus stops – but to improve the school security infrastructure in vulnerable and at risk areas.
These high-risk areas include stairwells and corridors within the school building, emergency exits, side entrances to the premises, and secluded parts of the ground hidden from direct view of the school by trees or outbuildings.
In many schools, it is in these transitional areas that a disproportionate number of bullying incidents and attempted crimes take place, due to the difficulty of monitoring them effectively during busy times. Certain times also carry a greater risk of antisocial incidents than others, with many incidents taking place outside of school hours – either before or after pupils have left the building.
How An Integrated School Security System Can Increase Safety For Pupils And Teachers
An integrated school security system provides better surveillance across the school site, giving site managers better awareness of antisocial incidents and allowing staff to take targeted action to address situations before they escalate.
An integrated system differs from simply having burglar alarms or CCTV in that all elements of the system are linked up for better coverage and visibility.
Elements of an integrated system may include:
- Intruder alarms
- Access controls
- Security gates
- In-person servicing and maintenance
- Wireless CCTV
- Megapixel CCTV
- PA systems – e.g. automated warnings to prevent pupils congregating in at risk areas where incidents are more likely.
School Security Solutions From IC2 CCTV
At IC2 CCTV, we offer a range of installation, security, and maintenance services to primary and secondary schools across the UK, as well as universities and other educational bodies. We provide cost-effective, linked up systems with up-to-date cameras and modern software to deliver clear images and better security across your campus – and that are in line with current Ofsted guidelines for school surveillance.
To find out more or to request a quote, please get in touch today.
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