A New CCTV System for Sir William Stanier School, Crewe
The Learning Alliance education trust commissioned AIS Security to assist them in improving/upgrading security and addressing behavioural issues at several of their school sites.
AIS have a wealth of experience in designing bespoke CCTV and security solutions to address the specific needs and challenges posed by the education sector.
Sir William Stanier CCTV System Requirements
After an initial consultation with the key personnel at the school, we established a list of objectives that the new CCTV system must help to achieve:
A reduction of vandalism – there was an ongoing issue with low-level vandalism (damage to ceiling tiles, plaster walls, graffiti, setting off the fire alarms etc.).
Protection of Students – whilst there wasn’t a significant problem, the new CCTV system should help to reduce instances of bullying further and improve detection.
Protection of Staff – Whilst there were few historical instances of violent & abusive behaviour towards school staff, there was an expectation that the new School CCTV system would further reduce examples of this type of behaviour. It is an invaluable tool when liaising with parents about student behaviour.
Improvements to the student environment – by reducing bullying and eliminating abusive/anti-social behaviour.
Streamlining of disciplinary procedures – by providing a reference tool to help key team members interact with pupils and parents.
Improvements in school safety – the new CCTV system should help identify/monitor potential accident hotspots and ensure adherence to health and safety procedures.
Improving external security – where possible, the new system was required to provide footage of key exterior areas to recommended evidential standards in all lighting conditions.
Full Monitoring Service – Once the school’s new CCTV system is commissioned, there will be a requirement for out of hours CCTV monitoring coupled with a proactive security plan to improve detection and help to eliminate problems before they start. The new system will be compatible with ALL major monitoring platforms and be built using industry-standard components.
CCTV System Specification
Working closely with the team at the school, AIS carried out a detailed survey, during which we identified a comprehensive list of requirements (see above), identified areas of the site of particular interest, identified the best locations for the equipment, and determined which CCTV cameras to use to get the best possible result.
The resulting system design comprised of the following equipment:
3 x Network Video Recorders
7 x POE switches
80 x 8MP cameras
The installed system allows 80 cameras to be recorded simultaneously (the system will record more than 28+ days before overwriting). All AIS installed systems are network-enabled, enabling key staff with appropriate password permissions to access footage from any location with a network connection. The system is configured with multiple monitoring stations, allowing key personnel to have a customised view of the camera feeds relevant to them.
The static cameras in this installation utilise the very latest 4K image quality (8 Megapixels). They have a wide dynamic range, providing excellent image quality across various lighting conditions. The cameras have inbuilt IR and can see in the dark up to 40M. The external cameras can record at 4K in full colour at night. In addition to the excellent image quality, the cameras come with in-built intruder analytics. They have face capture, line crossing detection, intrusion detection, region entrance detection and region exiting detection. This enables the system to notify a monitoring company of potential intruders outside of regular business hours.
Installation
Before we commenced the installation, AIS carried out a RAMS and submitted all relevant documentation (insurance, IPAF, Enhanced DBS certificates etc.).
The cabling for the system was installed over three weekends, ensuring minimal disruption to the teaching environment. Once this had been completed, our team installed the rest of the system without disruption during regular school hours.
Every member of our installation team has up-to-date Enhanced DBS background checks.
Handover
Once the installation had been completed, the system was handed over to the client and training was given to all interested parties. AIS provided the school with complete CCTV system diagrams and comprehensive technical documentation for all critical equipment.
Ongoing Support
In line with our standard installation procedure, AIS attended a meeting at the client’s site to review the CCTV system one month after handover. During this meeting, the client was given the opportunity to request minor system changes and discuss possible additional requirements.
In this instance, AIS provide the client with an ongoing support and maintenance contract that includes: 2 x annual service visits, on-site emergency support and remote support via Zoho Assist.
Immediate Tangible Results
The system had had an immediate positive impact with tangible improvements in student behaviour even before the installation was completed!
In the first week of operation, the system was used to identify several students involved in an incident and establish precisely what occurred. The footage was downloaded and used as a reference for use in the subsequent disciplinary procedures and eliminated any ambiguity there may have been.
The feedback from all interested parties at the site has been overwhelmingly positive.
