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Security
From lock to key stroke
S
ecurity in schools has never been of more paramount importance. In of repairs for damage caused by malicious acts.”
previous economic downturns, figures have shown that crime “Apart from the security issue, the system is seen as being a great aid to
figures shoot up. Schools, which are bristling with valuable ICT improving pupil behaviour and with just 26 supervisors to manage 1,700 pupils
equipment, are a perfect target. at break-times, the system ensures that the school’s ruling, ‘pupils remain on
Bad behaviour among students also increases in a recession. In the last site, within school grounds’, is being adhered to.”
couple of months, Schools Minister Jim Knight told teachers to expect the credit Effective security does not have to break the bank. Budget wise,
crunch to affect children’s behaviour, as they cope with the financial worries Kettlethorpe benefited from a unique contract offered by Acctive, which
back at home. Schools may find they suffer with more antisocial behaviour than allowed the school to upgrade its system from analogue to digital, without any
normal, such as graffiti or bullying. major capital outlay. Using Acctive systems’ in-house finance package,
In addition, with more and more data being stored online – and more Kettlethorpe spread the cost of purchasing the new system by committing to an
students using the web to study – security concerns now need to go beyond inclusive three-year maintenance agreement only, effectively procuring the
the physical school building and into cyberspace. As schools put valuable CCTV equipment free of charge! At the end of that period, the school will own
teaching resources onto Virtual Learning Environments, store precious pupil the equipment outright, leaving them with the option to agree a further
information on management systems and allow parents to buy goods and ongoing maintenance package at a reduced flat rate.
services via portals – how sure can they be that their networks are completely RemGuard’s Alan Collinge also believes that the economics of this type of
secure? CCTV for schools and colleges have undoubtedly changed for the better in
Alan Collinge, Operations Director, RemGuard Visual Management warns recent years: “It is perfectly possible to implement a new RemGuard solution on
“Schools, whatever their size, need to take a long hard look at the security a site for less than £10,000 for initial installation and set-up costs and then £25
arrangements they already have in place to combat vandalism, the threat of per week for monitoring. The installation costs will obviously be dependent on
arson and the theft of valuable equipment. This is especially important, given the size of the site and may also be significantly reduced if there is an existing
that schools are unmanned overnight and at weekends with effective cover CCTV installation.”
needing to be maintained. Some may still be tempted to rely on traditional At RemGuard, new customers are able to take advantage of ‘free for use’
measures, whether it is manned guarding, or continuously recorded CCTV but offer on RemVu Aquila transmission equipment when they sign-up their three
these, I would contend, are not necessarily the most effective answer.” year monitoring contract. Usually an existing broadband connection is used to
“One type of CCTV technology which stands-up well to scrutiny, under any link-up to RemGuard’s BS8418 compliant Remote Video Response Centre
cost benefit analysis, for out of hours protection is remotely monitored, detector (RVRC) and, as the RemVu Aquila is a network based video server, it enables
activated, CCTV. Time and again this has demonstrated an ability to stop crime direct customer access from a local PC to view live and recorded images.
at the earliest possible stage and, crucially, to assist the police to apprehend the Says Alan Collinge, Operations Director at RemGuard Visual Management:
culprits. “The bottom line is that this event driven method is significantly more effective
“The growing interest in this intelligent approach
to CCTV has also been fuelled by the existence of an
all embracing standard BS8418. By pulling together
the key elements associated with this type of security, Recession or no recession, no school can
the Code of Practice delivers an invaluable benchmark
for anyone considering this type of protection for their afford a breach of security that puts pupils at
premises.”
One school that recently took a long hard view at risk – whether they are on site or online.
its security arrangements is Kettlethorpe High, one of
Wakefield’s largest secondaries. It had suffered from a
series of broken windows and break-ins, which led to a huge increase in on many school and college sites than conventional intruder alarms, and offers
insurance premiums and a massive hike in their insurance excess costs from £75 major cost, flexibility and reliability benefits when compared to manned
to £500 per claim. guarding, patrols and continually recorded CCTV.”
After being plagued by problems with their existing black and white camera While digital technology can reduce costs and headaches in protecting a
system, installed over eight years ago, Alan Hampshire, Kettlethorpe’s Finance school’s perimeter and buildings – there are instances where technology itself
and Site Manager decided that the time had come to sort the problem out and poses a threat to student safety.
ushered-in a total review of the school’s security measures. Lightspeed provides a comprehensive network security product called Total
“Recognising that CCTV surveillance is an important and complex subject, Traffic Control that is designed specifically for education. Total Traffic Control
one which demands expert advice and consultation,“ explained Alan, “I protects the school's internet gateway with a built-in firewall, protects email
approached four specialist security firms to help us obtain an effective solution. from spam, and also protects PCs from viruses, spyware, and other threats.
We then carried out an appraisal programme, one conceived and executed as Total Traffic Control also provides comprehensive online security for students,
part of a drive to furnish the school with better equipment and best value blocking porn, gambling and other undesirable web content while allowing
contracts. With a response to tender that met our requirements, we finally even young students to use internet tools like Bing or Google Images safely.
selected Acctive Systems of Surrey.” The new and very unique Educational Video Library even secures YouTube,
As a Panasonic Premier Installer, Acctive Systems is a recognised supplier of a allowing teachers to choose what videos can be viewed by students while
comprehensive range of market leading CCTV equipment, and one that blocking unwanted content such as un-moderated comments.
enables the company to tailor the supply of effective solutions, suitable for any “A few years ago schools were looking for only the most basic network
size of a schools’ security application and budget. security and did not really understand the difference between products
To provide comprehensive CCTV coverage of the school’s main driveway, designed for the corporate market and ones designed specifically for education.
junior playground, portacabins, gym block, car park and building perimeter, Many schools and even Local Education Authorities bought well-known security
Acctive specified high-resolution, Panasonic WV-CL924 CCTV cameras and WV- products that were actually unsuitable for education,” says Total Traffic’s Earnie
CW474 vandal proof domes. Able to supply useable images throughout a Kramer.
range of diverse conditions, these automatic day/night switching cameras, in “Students use PCs and the Internet in a completely different way than an
combination with digital video recording, provide images of sufficient quality to average corporate employee and the approach to education network security
be used as prosecution evidence should the need be required. must take into account the much greater duty of care schools have. We are
“Since the surveillance system was completed, instances of trespassing, acts now finding the education security market is "growing up" and schools are
of vandalism and break-ins have decreased significantly,” says Alan. “In the now demanding specialised features designed for them, they are no longer
future we will not hesitate to use the recorded video footage to prosecute willing to accept security products designed for other markets just because it is a
offenders, and it will be school policy to secure a contribution towards the cost "brand name",” he adds.
October 2009 www.education-today.co.uk
49
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