elsiegee40 Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 In the Metro Private school Queen Ethelburga's College in Yorkshire has 700 CCTV cameras | Metro News Or 500 (still too many!) according to the Telegraph 'Surveillance' concerns over private school with 500 CCTV cameras - Telegraph ISI (Ofsted for Independents) failed it on safeguarding having made an emergency visit reckon it's 700 Queen Ethelburga's College - ISI - Independent Schools Inspectorate Welfare, health and safety of pupils [iSSR Part 3, paragraphs 7(a) and (b) and 8(a) and (b), and National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools (NMS) 11] The Regulations and Standards are not met At the time of the inspections around seven hundred CCTV cameras were located around the school, including in the EYFS, though not in boarding houses or designated pupil changing areas. The provost clarified that they were originally introduced during the bird flu epidemic when boarding houses had to be closed, so that students could receive lessons streamed via the cameras in every classroom. The provost explained that they have remained as a security measure, and in order to protect teachers, students and property. The provost and nominated staff members had monitor access to live and recorded images, including in the EYFS. In the EYFS, it was school policy for staff to cover or stand in front of the cameras to shield the children when the children are changing. The provost explained that there are always areas in the EYFS classrooms that are out of range of the cameras. Risk assessments are carried out in respect of the cameras in both the EYFS and the main schools. The assessments were written in August 2013 and last reviewed in September 2014. Children at reception age and above change in discrete changing rooms. The provost maintains that parents see the value of cameras because it gives the school a full picture of any incidents and feels that “it’s useful to persuade children to own up if they’ve done something wrong”. Some pupils and parents who responded to an invitation to contact inspectors indicated that while they understood the need for cameras for boundary security purposes they were less convinced about their general use in classrooms including the EYFS. The CCTV policy, access to images and placement of cameras has been reviewed following the unannounced visit. At the time of the announced inspection the outcome of this review was not known Some pupils expressed concern over the number of cameras around the site, and the fact that they were sometimes used to catch pupils behaving inappropriately (e.g. kissing or queue jumping)
X-13 Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Cameras in pupil changing areas... NOOOOOOOOPE.
elsiegee40 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Posted November 19, 2015 If you read the rest of the report, the cctv was the least of their worries. Safeguarding as a whole was very poor. They're lucky to still be open
Vasriel Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 "In the EYFS, it was school policy for staff to cover or stand in front of the cameras to shield the children when the children are changing." I'm sure the teachers always remembered to do this and never had to move away from blocking the camera.
elsiegee40 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Posted November 19, 2015 Oh to have the money to waste on buying and installing so many cameras! I know storage is cheap these days, but seriously...
Chris_ Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 Oh to have the money to waste on buying and installing so many cameras! I know storage is cheap these days, but seriously... I don't think that's the cost is an issue for them! We have invested £750,000 with the major mobile network operators to bring a top quality superfast 4G signal to our area.
elsiegee40 Posted November 19, 2015 Author Posted November 19, 2015 I don't think that's the cost is an issue for them! I wish... I guess it's improved their popularity with the neighbours though
Nixon77 Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) The cameras were monitored by staff members as well as then-chairman of the governors Brian Martin, who - in a separate development - has since been arrested on suspicion of historical sex offences and resigned from his position as provost. Read more: Yorkshire school slammed by inspectors over hundreds of CCTV cameras | Daily Mail Online Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook How strange. Not that I am making any assumptions. Edited November 19, 2015 by Nixon77
Simcfc73 Posted November 23, 2015 Posted November 23, 2015 QE is not a popular school amongst us indies anyway, I feel sooooo bad for them.
FN-GM Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 Oh to have the money to waste on buying and installing so many cameras! I know storage is cheap these days, but seriously... For 700 cameras that is a lot of storage, lots of backup space, lots of licences, lots of servers, lots of POE CCTV ports, lots of data points. The cost would be incredibly high!
MatthewL Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 They place has loads of money, even have their own TV advert!! I saw something the other day stating 90 cameras which I thought was a lot but 700!!
strawberry Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 For 700 cameras that is a lot of storage, lots of backup space, lots of licences, lots of servers, lots of POE CCTV ports, lots of data points. The cost would be incredibly high! I can't imagine doing this without a whole server room and separate infrastructure!. I'd be shocked if this came in at less than £500,000. I'd imagine that would be the maintenance cost!.
MatthewL Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 It's more cameras that some cities have in them. Lincoln city only had 119 cameras operated by the city council!!
Garacesh Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 One thing I don't get.. Sure, 700 cameras is a on the excessive side but depending on the size of the building, the layout, and if they have cameras in all the classrooms too (seems like they do) then it doesn't strike me as too bad. Truth be told I'd quite like us to have more cameras here as there are a few black spots or places where you can't see what's going on properly, can't make out faces, etc.. From the article I've read, the only safeguarding mistake is that early years kids were getting changed in front of them. Which confuses me. Because the report also says there were no cameras in designated changing areas. So either, the EY didn't have a designated changing area, or they did and just weren't using it. The former is rather large of a problem, but admittedly if it's the latter of the two, then that's a completely different issue. Come on, admit it now, how many times have we seen the staff 'bend the rules' for convenience. I can fully envision that's what's happening here. "Oh, just get changed here, it'll be fine, we'll cover up the camera.".. It does say that it was the policy, but whose policy? The school's, or the Early Years staff? Either way, someone needs to be taking the flak, but it's either the Governors (Governors need to approve policy, right?) or the teachers allowing it. I guess whoever is in charge of the CCTV should also be brought up on it, too. That being said, @elsiegee40 mentions the OFSTED report pointing out more issues. I haven't read the report, so no idea. But overall I don't really see an issue with having 700 cameras. It's probably a bit extreme, yeah, but in-of-itself? Not a problem. As with most things, it's the use (or misuse) that creates a problem.
Oaktech Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 Cameras can be very good news for safeguarding; protecting staff against allegations, recording instances of bullying etc, but they need to be properly sited and access to them controlled. I campaigned at my last place to have cameras installed in IT suites to reduce the vandalism rate and the one they did install cameras in because the rate of damage was getting into the hundreds each month the vandalism dropped right off, but the staff were (in this case rightly) concerned about being spied on by SLT and no-where else got them.
jdoyle Posted November 24, 2015 Posted November 24, 2015 links to ICO and Surveillance Camera Commissioner for those interested https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/cctv/ (see page 27 for note re continuous recording) https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2014/10/ico-warns-cctv-operators-that-use-of-surveillance-cameras-must-be-necessary-and-proportionate/ https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/surveillance-camera-commissioner
Diello Posted November 25, 2015 Posted November 25, 2015 Aside from the very obvious and concerning safeguarding issues here... I did rather scratch my head at this bit however: "Some pupils expressed concern over the number of cameras around the site, and the fact that they were sometimes used to catch pupils behaving inappropriately (e.g. kissing or queue jumping)" Surely the answer here then is to behave appropriately, not complain that you've been caught doing something you know you shouldn't! I don't think this would work in later life, "Well, Your Honour, I don't feel the issue here is that I was caught on camera committing the crime, even though I knew the cameras were there, I believe the real problem is that the cameras impinged on my right to commit the crime without being caught".
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