CCTV cameras in school toilets (From Warrington Guardian)

William Beamont among 203 in UK to have camera

3:50pm Friday 21st September 2012 in News

AN Orford high school is one of only a small number of schools in the country to have CCTV cameras in its toilets, according to a report.

A national report by Big Brother Watch published this month lists William Beamont High School, on Long Lane, as one of 203 schools nationwide to have installed cameras in toilets.

It has two such cameras, although a spokesman said they were located in the washroom.

Lysander High School, on Insall Road, Fearnhead, was also mentioned for having an ‘unusually high’ number of CCTV cameras installed.

It has a camera for every 12 pupils who attend there, meaning it is ranked 25th nationally for the amount of cameras per pupil.

In its findings, BBW questions how CCTV is used in schools and said: “The use of surveillance cameras in schools is perhaps one of the most sensitive uses of CCTV.

“From concerns about who is viewing the images to the broader question of acclimatising children to an environment where surveillance is the norm, it is not a topic to be taken lightly. The use of CCTV varies massively from school to school.

“Yet again CCTV appears to be used as a quick fix to much more complex problems and issues that simply cannot be solved with passive surveillance.

“We believe few parents will be aware of the true level of surveillance many schoolchildren are now under.”

Drew Rowlands, deputy head teacher at Lysander High School, said cameras were necessary for security in school buildings.

He said: “Since I have been at the school, incidents of break-ins and vandalism have been incredibly rare and I believe this may have been the result of introducing CCTV.

“I would also like to believe that it is due to our community respecting everything we are trying to achieve.”