Important Security Measures for Schools, Colleges and Academies

It’s vital that you take the time to teach both your staff and students about the potential dangers that may arise during their time in your educational facility. All employees including teachers, assistants and admin staff must be aware of how to tackle certain dangerous scenarios in a manner that protects the students, whether this means utilising emergency exits or protecting themselves from an attacker. Being aware of what to do when a situation arises will take away a large part of the associated risk. The government suggests that all staff receive appropriate security training based on the individual risks that their site could face, local authorities may be able to help in identifying these specific dangers.

The locking system that you use in your school, college or academy 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.

Master key systems are an efficient way to offer staff multi-level access, meaning that a staff member could have a key that is able to open one set of doors but is unable to open another set of doors. For example; a headteacher may have a single key that opens all doors in the building, the head of a single department will have a key that opens all doors within their department and a teacher who only needs access to a single classroom will be restricted to just that room. For a more detailed explanation of how a master key system works, you can read up on it here.

The installation of security systems such as panic alarms and CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras can boost your educational facilities safety quite dramatically when used correctly. A panic alarm in each classroom space will enable the teacher to alert security staff or police services in the event of an emergency, whilst a CCTV system will be able to monitor and capture any suspicious behaviour. If you choose to have a member of security staff watch a live stream of the cameras you will be able to spot risks before they develop to larger problems, so this is a great idea for those who wish to maintain a calm and secure environment.

Online risks grow and evolve all the time, and so educational facilities must put preventative measures in place to protect their staff and student’s data. Many records including sensitive personal information are stored on in house databases or computer systems, so you must utilise antivirus software and strong firewalls to keep data safe. Staff should also be aware that cyber-attacks may come from within the school. In-house IT technicians should be trained in detecting and preventing threats.