Security in schools is scrutinized more closely
by Ofsted during inspections

In recent news reports, it has been reported that Ofsted is scrutinizing school security more closely during inspections. It has been found that some schools’ site security weaknesses have led to a downgrade in their Ofsted rating.

As a result of new directives on safeguarding pupils, Ofsted has placed a great deal of emphasis on security. In an interview with Ofsted, a spokesperson said:

“Ofsted does not set the standards that schools and other education providers have to meet on safeguarding. Our job is to inspect against the standards and statutory guidance set by the Department for Education. If a school’s safeguarding arrangements do not meet these requirements, then at inspection we will judge them to be ineffective, this will lead to an overall inadequate judgment.”

School sites were often built before security became such a key expectation. Some weaknesses include

• Open access to all areas (as opposed to controlled access restrictions, especially in key ‘at-risk’ areas such as science labs and IT suites)
• Manual locks on internal and external doors without adequate access control.
• Access control systems not communicating with fire alarms to ensure a safe exit route out of the building
• Open access to playing fields or playgrounds via open car parks with no barriers.
• Poor Visitor Management

Computime are access control specialists providing not only the latest hardware but also our self-developed software providing customers with an all-in-one solution. some of are products include:

• Biometric entry systems
• fire alarm integration
• Visitor management
• Access level management

If you would like to find out more please email info@computimeuk.com or book a demo via our website.

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