New Technology Makes Schools A Safer Place

What's the most important thing about schools and the education system?

There's likely to be many different answers to this question depending on whether you're a parent, a teacher, a school governor or indeed a pupil. There's one thing that virtually everyone will agree on though and that is making sure our schools and nurseries are safe environments.

So with safety perhaps the major issue with modern schools what steps can schools take to make sure their school is as safe as possible?

Here are just 5 ways in which schools can use new technology to make sure their staff, pupils and the school is as safe as possible:

CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television)

With over 4.2 million CCTV camera's in the UK alone (one for every 14 people) this method of security is now common place. CCTV is used for a wide variety of things but for schools the use of CCTV allows for the monitoring of property and people. There has been much debate over the effectiveness of CCTV as a means of crime prevention but capturing criminal or anti-social behaviour both inside and outside of schools can certainly lead to action being taken against the culprits and also hopefully reduce the likelihood of it even happening in the first place.

Security Lighting

As the dark winter nights are now upon us and with children and teachers often starting and ending school in darkness (or dusk) then having adequate lighting is very popular. Security lighting can act in 2 ways. Firstly it gives pupils and employees more confidence by providing a well lit and seemingly safe environment. Not only that security lighting may also deter would be criminals and trouble makers.

Intruder Alarms

You're lying in bed fast asleep having a wonderful dream when BANG, a car alarm goes off and interrupts your peaceful sleep. And stays on for what seems like an eternity. It finally gets turned off and you can’t back to sleep! Sound familiar? Is so you'll know what impact an intruder alarm can have. For schools this is important as depending on the type of alarm you have it can alert other teachers, school workers, school children and/or the police. The result hopefully being that whatever caused the alarm to be activated, stops. And you, your school and your staff and pupils are safe.

Access Control Panels

These can be used by schools to prevent access to the building or to specific areas within the school. They can be used to make staff feel safer and to prevent unwanted visitors to certain areas.

Two Way Radio

The mobile phone has meant it is easier than ever to stay in touch but mobile phones suffer from cost issues and lack of coverage which means they aren't used by schools. The good news for schools is that modern Two Way Radio allows employees (from teachers to ground staff) to stay in touch wherever they are for just the cost of the actual handset. No rental charges, no call charges and a fast and highly effective way to stay in touch both within the school and on field trips make Two Way Radio a must for any school with a focus on security and safety.

Make sure your School, your staff and your pupils are secure and safe and make sure modern technology works for you.

This article was written by Mark Burdett, Marketing Manager of Northern Counties Insurance Brokers and Marketing Consultant.

For information on Two Way Radios and how they can be used in your school visit Apex Radio Systems at http://www.apexradio.co.uk. Apex Radio are the UK's Leading Providers of Radio Equipment to Schools through their School Watch scheme and now have the brand new ICOM F25SR Handset which gives Schools an affordable and mobile way to stay in touch.