Mul-T-Lock exclusive feature
School Security : Keeping Children Safe
Schools , by their nature , are difficult to secure and perhaps one of the most emotive issues facing head teachers , school staff , parents and governors today . It involves balancing security measures with the need to maintain a pleasant learning environment .
“ Schools offer the challenge to keep staff and pupils safe and secure , whilst maintaining a nurturing , friendly atmosphere . Mul-T-Lock offer a range of products to get the balance right .”
Claire Blakemore , Managing Director at Mul-T-Lock UK , looks at the issues and solutions available , to ensure any measures taken will not impact on the everyday activity of a school .
To teach and to learn , staff and pupils must feel safe and secure . And currently this responsibility is shared between the local authority , governing body and the head teacher .
Children have the right to a safe place in which to be educated . Staff have the right to a safe place in which to work . But providing that facility is not an easy task as it seems , with security often low down the list of priorities for many schools .
Available funds for security are often insufficient to meet demand , relying on funding from the local education authority . In current times , where austerity budgets are tight , as should be expected with what little additional funds there are , funding is put to use providing teaching aids to enhance the students learning , rather than providing for their security .
As a consequence , much of what is currently provided to schools as security is reactive . This can be alarms that activate when there is an issue and are responded to , staff carrying out patrols of school grounds when an intruder has been spotted or fences that are built and gates that are secured , to prevent unauthorised access , and keep the children and staff secure .
Even where there is a plan , no one wants to have schools that look like prisons with high walls and fences , lots of locks and bars . While it may make a building secure , it is not child friendly , nor does it make for a pleasant place to work .