Jacksons Fencing issues Education Best Practice Guide

Jacksons Fencing has released its Education Best Practice Guide to promote the use of safe physical perimeter security in educational facilities as a way to ensure the safety and health of the public.

Educational facilities should have a robust perimeter security strategy in place that identifies risks and puts controls in place to minimise any harm to pupils, staff and visitors. These processes must help prevent breaches, as well as encourage staff to be more aware. Having the right procedures in place ensures safe, secure and healthy environments that encourage learning and development.

Cris Francis, Head of Commercial Sales at Jacksons Fencing comments: “Learning establishments are generally complex sites to protect as they contain multiple buildings – each with their own access points, open spaces between structures, play areas as well as sports halls and fields.

“To effectively secure these areas, public safety is paramount. Assessments must be carried out to determine the type of risks, site usage levels as well as to understand the surrounding land layout.

"As there isn’t a provision of security personnel in schools, physical perimeter solutions including fences, gates, turnstiles, bollards and barriers must be in use to act as a restriction. When combined with access control, these clearly visible measures will help to protect against a range of threats and vulnerabilities.”

The Jacksons Education Best Practice Guide is ideal for those responsible for designing and implementing perimeter security strategies in schools. It is easy to read and provides pertinent advice on considerations including risk assessments, access points, aesthetics, site topography and its usage levels.

Funding for new free schools and the upgrade of existing facilities in England was recently announced in the spring Budget. Local authorities and school management teams can invest some of this money to plan for and incorporate adequate perimeter protection measures in the design of new and refurbishment of existing schools without compromising on learning resources.

Jacksons Fencing designs and manufactures the highest quality perimeter security and access control solutions in the UK. Their team of technical and engineering experts are readily available to provide support to the most complex and challenging projects.