Important Security Measures – Schools, Academies and Colleges 11 January 2023

Schools, academies and colleges should ensure they have dynamic procedures to keep students and staff safe in any kind of incident. This may not be as difficult as you might initially imagine, there are 4 key areas in which you can focus your efforts to stay as secure as possible.

Increase situational awareness

It’s vital that you take the time to teach your students about the potential dangers that may arise during their time on your premises. All employees including teachers, assistants and admin staff should be aware of safeguarding concerns. At some schools, academies and colleges the responsibility to protect students may be assigned to Security Industry Authority licenced security officers who are trained to carry out any or all of the following:

• Reception duties (including employee and visitor screening)
• Maintaining visitors log
• Patrolling
• Managing suspicious activity
• Conducting fire alarm tests
• Responding to incidents
• Searches

Our enhanced DBS checked security officers are personable, approachable and willing to integrate into the life of the schools, academies or colleges. Before being assigned, security officers will be given training to ensure they have an understanding of the likely threats they will face and know how to respond accordingly.  

Restricted access

The locking system used in schools, academies or colleges is an important aspect of both your students and staff’s safety. Access to restricted areas must be limited to only essential persons that require the use of particular rooms.

Access control systems are an efficent way to restrict access to certain areas of a school, for example; a headteacher may have a single key that opens all within their department and a teacher who only needs access to a single classroom will be restricted to just that room.

Security systems

The installation of security systems such as panic alarms and CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras can perform a multitude of functions for schools, academies and colleges.

• The ability to control and monitor the movement of people around the premises, and also monitor any unwanted visitors.
• Actively monitored surveillance for all areas of the school, academy or college by a 24-hour control room.
• Anyone committing crime and anti-social behaviour will be indentified due to high definition recording.
• Collection of evidence.

Periodically reassess security

As threats and risks adapt and change, you must make an effort to periodically assess your security procedures to ensure they can keep your school, academy or college out of harm’s way for the foreseeable future.