Access Control in Education Sector
Controlling access to school campuses and buildings is an
important issue for school administrators. They need to maintain a
user-friendly, welcoming school climate while ensuring that the facility is
safe and secure, both when school is in session and when the buildings are
unoccupied.
What is access control?
Access control provides the ability to control, monitor and
restrict the movement of people, assets or vehicles, in, out and round a
building or site.
Access control is essential for all businesses to protect people
and assets and has the added benefit of being expanded from controlling, for
example, a single entrance door, to a large integrated security network. There
are also huge potentials in terms of integrating HR and other systems, such as
Time and Attendance, Visitor Management, ANPR, Fire, Intruder and CCTV, which
can cut costs and streamline administration costs.
What risks does the average office face and
how can these be countered by access control?
Electronic access control systems are increasingly being used to
enhance safety and security in educational establishments.
The average educational establishment has a transient population
with many high value goods such as computers and IT equipment, not to mention
the personal possessions of staff and students, which are extremely attractive
for thieves.
Access control systems are all designed to allow access only to
people with the necessary authority to ensure that goods and people are
protected.
Educational establishments have a duty of care to provide a safe
environment for pupils and staff and the application of access control can
therefore help manage known or anticipated threats.
Generally systems comprise three component parts:
1. The physical barrier – to physically restrict access to a
building or location via such methods as:
• Doors: secured by either a electromagnetic or strike Lock or can be
revolving or sliding.
• Turnstiles and speedgates: designed to limit access to one
person for one card presented.
2. The identification device – There are a number of different
technologies used to identify users of an access control system, such as:
• A proximity card and reader using RFID – cards can either work
at a short read range or a long read range.
• A smart card and reader.
• A swipe card and reader.
• PIN pads.
• Biometric (fingerprint, iris scanning).
3. The door controller and software – The door controller and
software are at the heart of the system and are used to decide who can gain
access through which access point at what time of the day. These can vary
dependent on the size of the system and how many readers or sites you are
trying to control from one point.
Some of the options include:
• 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.
What added benefits can access control systems
bring to educational establishments?
Protection during school hours is paramount, and the following
added benefits come from access control:
Visitor
monitoring
In an environment where visitors can blend in with the staff and
pupils, the use of PC and computer networks should be considered. These systems
can print photographic ID and allow access to be restricted to certain areas
within the office. Moving to a software solution for visitor management is an
easy and inexpensive solution and can provide a number of added benefits.
The system was designed to ensure the smooth operation of a
100,000 square metre complex, spread over five buildings with both students,
staff and visitors accessing the different facilities sometimes at high
volumes. 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, allowing
administration from a central point.
Automatic
Number Plate Recognition
For college and university sites where students may be driving
in and parking onsite, Automatic Number Plate Recognition may be a viable
option. To monitor the entrance of vehicles on site, CCTV-style cameras and
computer software can be used to identify number plates of vehicles. Some
systems can also store photographs of the driver and vehicle for subsequent
analysis. This sophisticated software allows critical information to be passed
to the police to assist in the pursuit, identification and capture of
offenders.
What key considerations should be taken
into account when considering access control?
The outcome of the risk assessment for your office will
determine the level of security you require and in turn influence your choice
of access control system to be used. BSIA access control members and
professional security consultancies can assist with this.
BSIA members go through rigorous checks before they are admitted
into membership, meaning you are selecting quality companies to achieve peace
of mind. Below are just some of the reasons why you could benefit from using
the services of a BSIA member:
·
Independently inspected to the quality standard ISO 9001 with a
UKAS accredited inspectorate.
·
Compliant with relevant British and European Standards and codes
of practice.
·
Financially sound.
·
Professional.
·
Staff vetting conducted (where appropriate).
·
Technically proficient.
·
Committed to quality training and development.
·
Up-to-date with the latest developments in British and European
policy and legislation.
Is there any legislation I should be aware
of?
The Disability Discrimination Act was amended in 2005 and has
significant impact not only in terms of the design of new systems, but also
means that many systems may need to be upgraded to ensure compliance. This is
of particular importance also for educational establishments as employees,
pupils and visitors will all need to have adequate and user-friendly access to
the building.
The BSIA has created a guide to help design access control
systems following the introduction of the revisions which can be downloaded
from www.bsia.co.uk/publications
Other legislation to be considered in relation to educational
establishments is:
National minimum care standards
Health and Safety at Work Act
Occupiers Liability Act
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations