Does My School Security Alarm System Meet Ofsted Regulations?

Ofsted put an 'Outstanding' school into special measures because they didn't have adequate perimeter fencing.

So that begs the question, are other elements of your school security, such as your Alarm System, up to scratch? And what are the Ofsted implications, if any?

Understanding Ofsted's requirements for school security

Unfortunately, Ofsted's rules and regulations regarding school security aren't crystal clear.

While they publicly provide information on Safeguarding Children that covers everything from staff checks to bullying...

There's nothing definitive about school security - School Alarm Systems, CCTV, Perimeter Fencing or Access Control. It's all open to interpretation.
(Correct as of September 2017)

So, what can the Responsible Person do?

To make sure you don't fall foul of your legal obligations or risk being put into 'special measures', your school must 'Safeguard Children' both inside and outside the classroom.

And that includes keeping the bad guys out! Your security has to be up to scratch.

A rule of thumb test for School Security Alarm Systems

Follow this rule of thumb test to work out whether your Alarm System is up to scratch.

Your Alarm System should:

• have been installed by an accredited security company (Blake's are a great choice!)
• be regularly maintained by an accredited security company
• cover the entire school grounds

And..

• NOT have been installed by a caretaker, electrical contractor or individual offering 'handyman' services
• NOT be tampered with by an unaccredited individual
• NOT be split up into multiple systems that cover different wings / blocks

If you cannot guarantee all of the above - you may have a problem.

We've already discussed the dangers of getting your commercial security installed by an electrical contractor... and the repercussions a school in Essex faced after hiring a fireman to install their Emergency Lighting.

The take home message from both of those stories is: unless your installer or maintenance provider is NSI Gold accredited or equivalent, there is:

• no governing body ensuring standards are met
• no way to make sure your system adheres to the law

That puts the Responsible Person at risk of unlimited fines OR a prison sentence if the worst should happen. And your school could end up in special measures if Ofsted find out!

Even if you passed the Intruder Alarm rule of thumb test above, there may be other areas that could let you down during an inspection! After all, the case of the outstanding school referred to earlier only messed up on their perimeter fencing!

Blake's are here to help!

Read our school security guide to see whether you're in the clear or uncover areas you should be concerned about.

You're in safe hands, we're an NSI Gold and SSAIB accredited security company who work with over 200 schools in Essex.