For the fifth year running schools have been allocated a £22 million package to upgrade security and safety systems.
Top on the list of budget allocations are Kent LEA, which has £586,422 to spend, Essex (the recipient of £560,231) and Hertfordshire LEA, which has picked up a tidy £509,289.

According to the DfEE, over 9,000 schools have benefited from funding in the past year, which has helped in improving CCTV, fencing, training and anti-vandalism measures. Among them, Dene Community School of Technology in Peterlee, County Durham used its grant to install perimeter fencing, appoint a security manager and upgrade CCTV coverage using a Chubb system, significantly cutting its annual cost of vandalism.

Schools Standards Minister, Estelle Morris, said LEAs had reported that staff, pupils and parents alike had welcomed the security measures introduced.

Morris said: "A secure school where pupils, teachers and parents can concentrate their efforts on teaching and learning will lead to higher standards."

Source

SMT