Education Business

The average educational establishment has a transient population with many high value goods such as computers and IT equipment on-site, not to mention the personal possessions of staff and students. These are extremely attractive to thieves so it is no surprise that these sites are becoming more of a target to burglars and vandals. Schools are advised to assess their threats and find security solutions. As a result, an increasing number are turning to access control systems for extra protection.
    
Access control provides the ability to control, monitor and restrict the movement of people, assets or vehicles in, out and round a building and site. It is an essential security method for all businesses, including schools, in order to protect people and assets and it has a wide range of abilities from controlling a single entrance door to a large integrated security network.
    
Keeping schools safe during the day clearly involves the ability to prevent unauthorised access and to summon help in the event of an emergency. Basic principles here include: keeping the number of entrances in use to a minimum, preferably one per building; ensuring all visitors identify themselves and, where possible, operate an appointments system; never admitting visitors until the need for their visit has been confirmed; accompanying visitors at all times and restrict their movements within the school, which are strictly in line with the purpose of their visit; and if you can afford it, invest in a door release/intercom system. As well as these methods, schools should foster good relations with their neighbours and create a generally supportive local community as this has a valuable role to play, both by influencing attitudes towards the school and in providing an informal surveillance function.

In order to reduce the risk of becoming a target to criminals, schools should focus on the issue of accessibility as this area has the beneficial effect of mitigating lower level risks from unwanted callers such as trespassers and walk-in thieves during the daytime. Outside of a school’s opening hours the sites have long been a favourite target for burglars and vandals with the consequences ranging from minor theft or damage to the complete loss of school through actions of arsonists. An access control system can therefore help to manage a school’s known or anticipated threats.
    
Access control systems consist of three components. Firstly, there is the physical barrier, which restricts access into a building. This is achieved via methods such as doors secured by a magnetic or strike lock and turnstiles and speedgates, which are designed to limit access to one person for one card presented. Secondly, there is the identification device, which identifies users of an access control system. There are a variety of different devices including a proximity card and reader using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which work at both a short or long read range. Other methods include a smart card and reader, a swipe card and reader, PIN pads or biometric equipment such as fingerprint and iris scanning. This equipment can be used throughout a school’s site, which will only grant access to staff and pupils thereby reducing the risk of intruders.
    
The door controller and software is another important tool in an access control system. This is at the heart of the technology and is used to decide who can gain access through which access point at what time of day. These can vary and depend on the size of the system and how many readers or sites are being controlled. There are several options when it comes to installing this technology including: a standalone door controller linked to a single door with no software; a number of door controllers all linked together to a single PC to control one site; a number of sites all interlinked together over a wide network area. All three systems are effective and depend on the school’s requirements.

Benefits of access control
As well as the security measures already identified, access control systems carry further benefits for schools. The first is visitor monitoring which proves very useful in school premises as visitors can blend in with staff and pupils very easily. Therefore, the use of PC and computer networks should be considered as these systems can print photographic ID and allow access to be restricted to certain areas. This is an easy and inexpensive solution for visitor management that is frequently used.

For example, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama worked with a BSIA member to update their existing access control system to provide a complete security system. The school needed to replace its outdated access control system with one that clearly identifies and records who exactly has access to where and at which time on all of their five separate sites. With around 2,000 people accessing the school’s facilities the system needed to ensure the smooth operation of students, staff and visitors at high volumes.

Consequently, a Smart Card system was developed which provides not only access to designated areas but also allows all sites to be linked via a modem, thus allowing administration from a central point.
    
With a large number of pupils and staff driving into school, sites will also benefit from Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). This technology is used to monitor the entrance of vehicles on-site and identify a vehicle’s number plates through the use of CCTV cameras and computer software. This software allows any suspicious vehicles to be investigated as well as enabling critical information to be passed on to the police to assist in the pursuit, identification and capture of offenders.
    
Access control alone provides a school with effective protection against risks, however, some sites incorporate other security measures depending on their premise’s size and layout. For example, if a school is set out over several floors or sites they may also benefit from a fully integrated access control system with CCTV, intruder alarm, fire detection and business management systems.
    
This was the case with the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) which approached a BSIA member for a facility wide access control card solution, which involved utilising one card database to centralise administration. QMUL has over 10,000 UK, European and international students attending four campuses, which were all once run separately with QMUL’s access control system consisting of several standalone systems supported by several smaller installation companies. The BSIA member studied the university’s requirements and provided a complete upgrade, which included the installation of an access control and alarm monitoring system to communication between the server PC’s and intelligent door controllers across QMUL’s infrastructure. The new access control system allowed for a single card to work across all of the campuses and control the system from a central point.
    
Other uses
As well as helping to protect a school from the likes of intruders and burglars, access control can assist with other safety aspects including fire and other emergencies. In the event of a fire for instance, fire roll-call software can be used to automatically generate a report, which contains crucial information in relation to who is within the building and potentially where they are. The software operates via the access control smart card or fob that staff or pupils use to gain access into a building. In the event of an emergency, the software alerts those inside the premise and activates a report at the safe pre-determined remote point.
    
A BSIA member has installed fire roll-call at Holywell Middle School in Bedfordshire. The member company was asked to provide a fire roll-call software system after the school’s fire health and safety procedures were reviewed. The fire call-roll and monitoring system was installed, which gives immediate reports containing crucial information concerning who is on-site. The function is executed directly from the clocking station and does not rely on the controlling PC or computer infrastructure. This means that when the fire alarm is activated the evacuation list is printed out automatically at a safe pre-determined point, enabling the staff to vacate quickly, safely and account for all those present.

Enhancing systems further
Once a school has applied an access control system to their surroundings, they might like to consider adding other security measures in order to make themselves even more resilient. Additional technology could include CCTV, which can be used alongside access control to check who visitors are before allowing them entry into the premises. CCTV serves as a useful deterrent against burglary and vandalism and also enables the relevant staff to keep an eye on any suspicious activity.
    
Other security methods to consider are physical equipment, which include the use of fences and locks on all windows and doors to protect the outside of a school in order to make an intruder’s task as difficult as possible. Property marking is also advised and involves permanently marking all valuable items and displaying appropriate signs, both to deter theft and enable the return of any stolen property.
    
Schools should also look at installing an intruder alarm system, which of course is an enormous deterrent to thieves looking to break in to a building. The BSIA advises that an alarm should be linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre, which has priority access to the local police control room.
    
Whether using access control alone or combining the system with other security measures, both are an effective way of providing added protection to schools. With a high volume of valuable equipment on-site and the overriding importance of ensuring the safety of staff and pupils, no one could disagree that crime prevention in schools deserves the highest priority.
    
In recognition of this, the BSIA has produced a guide to access control for education establishments, which is available to download by visiting www.bsia.co.uk/publications.

About the BSIA
The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) is the professional trade association of the UK security industry. Its members produce over 70 per cent of the country’s security products and services to strict quality standards.

For more information
For further information, visit www.bsia.co.uk. The BSIA operates a local rate helpline on 0845 389 3889.