Schools aren’t just about education. They’ve also got a duty to keep students safe. Long-established F.H. Brundle, who stock an extensive range of perimeter security fencing and gate hardware products, give their top tips on making schools safer places to be.
Modern schools are full of hundreds if not thousands of vulnerable young people, and sometimes millions of pounds of high-tech equipment – all of which makes security and safety a major concern.
So how do site managers do that? And is it possible to do so without making a school – which, ideally, should be a friendly, welcoming environment – feel like a fortress?
The first place to start, unsurprisingly, is with the school perimeter itself. It’s that more than anything else that’s going to keep staff, students and other building users safe.
Solid barriers were once the norm, but in recent decades there’s been a move away from more forbidding boundaries to solutions that you can see through, and are more aesthetically pleasing.
Products like the Nylofor 3-M offer a good level of general security, and are difficult for would-be intruders to scale, while remaining almost completely transparent – perfect for schools and other contexts where you want children to be secure, but also need the environment to still be open and welcoming.
What’s more, it’s been specifically designed to be both cost-effective and quick and easy to install – it can be fitted 20% faster, and needs 20% less concrete and posts than other systems of its type.
Our Paladin Classic is another popular choice, thanks to its balance of robust security and pleasing aesthetics, while Roll Top fencing offers a unique and user-friendly design, with a rolled top and bottom edge and no sharp edges, helping avoid accidental injury.
Locks: not to be overlooked
Another crucial step is controlling access to the site, and the most critical areas within it.
One simple but extremely effective method for controlling who’s permitted on site is an ID badge system.
But increasing numbers of schools and colleges are now investing in more high-tech access control systems. One of the key challenges around lockable doors in the school environment is the need to keep intruders out of sensitive areas but allow building occupants to quickly and easily escape in an emergency.
Products like the Locinox and Gatemaster gate lock have been designed to allow exactly that – presenting external users with a sturdy lock, but internal ones with a clearly-labelled push pad to allow for speedy egress.
Get some friendly guidance
Today, there’s a wider choice of robust, long-lasting and cost-effective perimeter security solutions on the market than ever. For schools, that’s great – but sometimes, the sheer scale of that choice can be a little overwhelming.
If you’d like some friendly guidance, talk to F.H. Brundle – call your local branch, visit www.fhbrundle.co.uk or email [email protected] today!