The benefits of having CCTV cameras fitted in schools far outweigh the investment in them. In addition to providing an education to the nation’s children, one of the core responsibilities of a school is to keep its pupils safe.
Consequently, the importance of using CCTV in schools has been growing over time.
New threats have emerged.
Cast your mind back 20 years go, were teachers being attacked in class on a daily basis? Were hard drugs being taken at school?
When it comes to security, a well-designed school CCTV system helps provide pupil and teacher safety. Furthermore, it gives parents peace of mind knowing their children are protected.
Key article takeaways (TL;DR)
- CCTV helps deter unauthorised access, vandalism, and antisocial behaviour on school grounds.
- Footage supports safeguarding, investigations, and incident resolution.
- Systems improve pupil and staff safety by monitoring high-risk or isolated areas.
- CCTV can assist with Ofsted inspections and meet DfE safeguarding guidance.
- Modern systems include motion detection, audio, and remote monitoring for enhanced coverage.
School CCTV benefits: Table of contents
- What are the main threats to school security?
- What are the benefits of CCTV systems for schools?
- 1. Preventing anti-social behaviour
- How do CCTV systems help tackle anti-social behaviour in schools?
- 2. Student and pupil safety
- Using security cameras to improve school safety
- 3. Teacher and staff safety
- How security camera systems improve teacher and staff safety
- 4. Unauthorised access
- The role of access control systems in schools
- 5. Dealing with emergencies
- The role of CCTV in dealing with emergency situations
- 6. Out of hours security (when the school is shut)
- Schools with on-site security guards
- Schools without an onsite security presence
- Summary – The Benefits of CCTV Camera Systems in Schools
- Frequently asked questions
What are the main threats to school security?
Those in charge of school security, have to tackle a range of threats to people’s safety and overall site protection.
These include:
- Bullying
- Anti social behaviour
- Drug dealing
- Trespass
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Vehicle crime
To offer some insight, vandalism in Scottish schools is costing taxpayers £5,000,000.
Now let’s get to grips with the main benefits and advantages of installing security cameras in your school.
What are the benefits of CCTV systems for schools?
To give those in charge of school security the tools to make the right security system investment, the team at Safeguard Systems have put together this guide.
We’ve split this guide on the benefits of CCTV camera systems in schools into 6 key areas:
- Preventing and monitoring anti-social behaviour
- Student and pupil safety
- Teacher safety and security
- Detecting unauthorised access
- Dealing with emergencies
- Out of hours surveillance
1. Preventing anti-social behaviour
Deterring vandals and thieves is definitely one the benefits of CCTV camera systems in schools.
Unfortunately, schools are often the victims of theft, vandalism, and other forms of anti-social behaviour.
Thieves often target bike sheds. When the school is closed, louts often break in and cause untold damage to windows, property and more.
Furthermore, anti-social behaviour also covers bullying, drug dealing, and alcohol-fuelled incidents.
Altogether, these are the reasons why initiatives such as Operation Subpole, focused on reducing anti social behaviour in schools are taking shape across the country.
These are all challenges those in charge of school security have to deal with, regularly.
How do CCTV systems help tackle anti-social behaviour in schools?
Fortunately, there are various types of CCTV camera systems for schools, to help prevent anti social behaviour, such as bullying.
A well designed HD or IP CCTV system offers a number of benefits when dealing with anti-social behaviour.
Altogether , expertly placed security cameras can ensure all known hot-spots are covered, and warning signs can help to deter petty thieves and vandals.
In the event of anti-social behaviour occurring, CCTV footage can catch the culprits.
As the old saying goes, prevention is always better than the cure. Where schools have a high risk of crime, we’d recommend a monitored CCTV system.
Remote 24/7 CCTV monitoring systems ensure a school’s security cameras are watched over day and night.
This helps to spot more threats and reduce crime.
If that sounds of interest, we’ve recently written an article on the benefits of monitored CCTV.
2. Student and pupil safety
The importance of CCTV cameras in schools is highlighted by how they can help to keep pupils safe.
Parents expect their children to go to school in a safe environment.
Unfortunately, there are times when fights break out and other incidents occur, requiring investigation.
In the modern world it’s a sad truth that drug dealing has become an issue in schools.
Using security cameras to improve school safety
Effective CCTV systems help spot and track drug dealers.
Unauthorised access is another issue around pupil safety. CCTV surveillance cameras can help spot known trespassers and gangs descending on campus from rival schools.
CCTV surveillance systems are an effective solution in helping schools tackle these security threats.
3. Teacher and staff safety
Everyone has the right to work in a safe environment – especially school teachers.
No one should go to work under the threat of violence, nor should they have to deal with other forms of anti-social behaviour.
In the main, it’s fair to say, most schools only experience isolated incidents of crime.
Unfortunately, there are some schools where the environment is more challenging.
How security camera systems improve teacher and staff safety
In each case, you can implement a robust, effective CCTV system to give teachers all round peace of mind, knowing they have a layer of protection in place against angry students.
For schools operating in a more challenging environment, where security is key, we would always recommend a remote CCTV monitoring service.
With CCTV monitoring, an offsite professional monitors the school security system 24/7.
This means threats are spotted as they occur and can be dealt with swiftly.
4. Unauthorised access
For a school to remain a safe place to learn and work, knowing who is on site is paramount.
Schools can use CCTV to monitor the threat of trespass in a number of ways:
- CCTV cameras should be pointed at all known entrances and monitored for suspicious activity
- Pupils who engage with trespassers can be spotted and asked to speak to a teacher immediately
- Facial recognition surveillance cameras can monitor the site for known criminals, gangs from rival schools and more.
However, using CCTV in this way is only part of the battle in keeping authorised visitors from entering a school.
The role of access control systems in schools
To increase security, and reduce unauthorised access, we’d especially recommend investing in an effective school access control system.
The benefits of access control for schools are vast.
A simple key fob door entry system can restrict access to the school for pupils and staff only.
Audio intercom and video door entry systems can help manage the flow of site visitors.
If a combination of CCTV and access control sounds like a winning combination for your school, you can visit our dedicated school security systems page for more information.
5. Dealing with emergencies
Over the last few years, crime in schools has been rising steadily. This year, reports in the media show how knife crime in schools is fast becoming a massive problem.
Those in charge of school security, clearly have a tough job on their hands.
Unlike in the USA, the UK doesn’t have a problem with gun crime in schools and mass shootings.
However there are plenty of situations where an evacuation, even putting the school into lockdown, is necessary to protect student and teacher safety.
In addition to knife crime, drug dealing and attacks on teachers have fast become the norm in schools throughout the UK.
Fires can start accidentally and in some cases deliberately.
Then, there’s the threat of terrorism.
The role of CCTV in dealing with emergency situations
To summarise, in the event of a school needing to evacuate or lockdown, CCTV systems offer a number of benefits:
- Where someone enters the school carrying a knife, the CCTV cameras are used to keep tracks on them and The Police can be notified and directed to the right part of the building
- If there is an access control system in place, once the CCTV surveillance cameras have spotted an external threat, the school can be locked down to protect its pupils and staff
- In the event of a fire and the need to evacuate, the security cameras can spot anyone left in the building, trying to make their way out
- Additionally in a panic situation, pupils can become separated. The security cameras can help track where these pupils go as they leave the school
6. Out of hours security (when the school is shut)
Criminals often target schools during periods when they aren’t open, such as weekends, holidays and night time.
When considering a school’s security needs, many have high value equipment, such as computers, iPads and sports equipment left on site. These valuable items need protecting.
Additionally, vandalism is often an issue, with vandals smashing windows, spraying graffiti over the walls and breaking playground equipment.
Depending on your school security set-up there are a few options to consider.
Schools with on-site security guards
For schools that have an onsite security team, watching over the CCTV cameras regularly, we’d recommend a HD or IP CCTV installation.
An effective site survey would indicate potential break-in points requiring special focus.
Additionally, the site survey enables the security systems installer to recommend the correct volume and type of camera to provide 360 degree security coverage.
Schools without an onsite security presence
In this situation, we would always recommend a monitored CCTV system.
Remote CCTV monitoring is the perfect solution for schools that don’t have onsite security.
With CCTV monitoring, a team of security professionals constabtly monitor your cameras externally, 24/7.
Additionally, you can integrate CCTV monitoring systems with audio. In summary, if your dedicated security professional spots a threat, they can communicate with the intruder, advising them they have contacted the authorities.
Potential crime detected, and as a result, a potential crime deterred.
Summary – The Benefits of CCTV Camera Systems in Schools
By now, it should be especially clear the importance of a fully functioning, highly effective CCTV system for a school.
School CCTV systems help manage and deter a vast range of security threats.
Moreover, pupil and teacher safety is paramount.
Everyone has the right to go to school and work in a safe, secure environment.
Those in charge of school security systems have many threats to deal with. In summary, theft, vandalism, drug dealing, and violence are regular occurrences.
When it comes to picking the right CCTV system for a school, there are many considerations to make.
- Are the security guards protecting and monitoring the school 24/7?
- How many cameras do you need for 360-degree coverage?
- What current IT infrastructure is in place?
The list goes on.
If you’re currently thinking about upgrading your current security cameras, or are investing for the first time, you can ask us a question via our contact form.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for some advice, pick up the phone and have a conversation with one of our experienced security professionals today on 0800 689 1835
Frequently asked questions
CCTV helps schools maintain a safe and secure environment by deterring intruders, reducing antisocial behaviour, and protecting pupils, staff, and property. It also supports safeguarding efforts and helps resolve disputes or incidents quickly with reliable video evidence. As you can see, the benefits of CCTV systems for schools are vast.
Yes. CCTV provides audit trails and visual evidence that support safeguarding policies. During Ofsted inspections, footage can help demonstrate how the school manages site access, monitors behaviour, and investigates incidents effectively and professionally. Altogether, these are all important factors in making the decision to install security cameras at your school.
Yes. Detecting and dealing with bullying is one of the main advantages to installing CCTV cameras in schools. All in all, the presence of cameras often discourages bullying, vandalism, and aggressive behaviour. Knowing they’re being monitored encourages pupils to act responsibly and helps staff intervene early when issues arise.
When disputes or accidents occur, CCTV footage provides an objective record of events. It helps staff and authorities verify facts, assess responsibility, and take appropriate action—reducing ambiguity and conflict in investigations.
Schools must comply with data protection laws. This includes placing cameras only where appropriate, storing footage securely, informing pupils and parents, and ensuring CCTV use is clearly documented in the school’s privacy policy.
Yes. Remote access allows authorised staff or safeguarding leads to view footage in real time during emergencies or after hours. This supports faster decision-making and enhances the school’s ability to respond to threats or concerns.
