The summer holidays are the perfect time to make amendments to the security and safety of your school premises. As pupils are away, and classrooms are empty, maintaining and updating security and safety devices during the summer break causes minimal disruption, and prepares the premises for the start of a new term in September. School bodies should consider the following tasks during the summer months to ensure that their premises is safe and secure throughout the school year.

Install CCTV

CCTV can be an excellent way to deter vandals and criminals from breaking and entering, but can also aid learning and deter bad behaviour if installed within the class room. A monitor installed in a classroom or learning space can record lessons and be used to provide teacher training and feedback, helping to improve the standard of education the school offers.

If choosing to install CCTV, you must be clear on the reasons behind doing so, and inform pupils and parents about the purpose of the installation. It is a legal requirement that you state your intent when using CCTV in public places, and you must only use it for its intended purposes. For example, if using CCTV to record any criminal activity that may occur, then you must not use it to monitor student behaviour and teacher performance. For more information about this, read our blog about CCTV law in the UK.

Update Access Points

A school with multiple buildings and entrance points may find it difficult to keep track of who enters the premises, and should therefore consider the options regarding door security. Secondary schools and colleges may want to consider using door entry systems that restrict access to those without codes or cards, yet allows students and teachers to access buildings.

Door entry systems, like the ones we install, can be operated using a smart entry card, which means that ID cards can be used to grant access to buildings. Schools can also further restrict access to areas such as kitchens, staff rooms, and faculty offices.

Maintain Fire Alarms

Although you should be testing your fire alarms throughout the year, and should ensure that you practice a fire drill at least once a term, summer is one of the best time to carry out fire alarm maintenance.  You should ensure that your fire alarm is in full working order prior to the start of the new term, and have any faults fixed, or new alarms installed if necessary.