SECURITY & SCHOOL SITE SAFETY

We have been provided with evidence from external suppliers, that the proposed security and safety measures;  including CCTV, access control and facial recognition systems were reduced or removed, resulting in an estimated saving of approximately £500,000.

These are not excessive or unusual provisions. In many SEN settings, such measures are considered standard safeguarding infrastructure, designed to:

1.    Monitor who is entering and leaving the site

2.    Protect vulnerable pupils who may be at higher risk

3.    Provide clear oversight across key access points

4.    The apparent decision to scale back these measures raises a fundamental concern:

Have cost considerations been prioritised over safeguarding?

In a setting supporting children with additional needs, robust security is not optional...it is expected.

When combined with an already constrained and low-visibility access point, the absence of enhanced security measures only increases the overall safeguarding risk.

Safety should never be an area where compromises are made.