CCTV 'spy' comes into classrooms

Date: 14/06/2005
Source: South London Press
Author: Zara Bishop

BIG Brother-style cameras have been installed in schools to improve security.

Twenty classrooms at Stockwell Park High School have been kitted out with cameras which record sound and images 24 hours a day.

The cameras were phased in during this academic year after newly installed interactive whiteboards were damaged and projectors stolen.

There are plans to expand the surveillance system to complement cameras in playgrounds, corridors, staircases and on the perimeter of the site.

Deputy headteacher Mike Rush said: "Just about everywhere you go in the school there is a camera.

"It is for security reasons - we have had a lot of people coming on to the school site and causing problems.

"Serious incidents happen very fast and people get partial views.

"Cameras allow you to review the situation and put together an accurate account of what took place."

Mr Rush emphasised the cameras were not there as a tool to judge the quality of teaching.

He said: "Some teachers were anxious about having lessons filmed but the cameras have not been used to monitor them.

"The film could be used for training purposes if a teacher does a particularly good lesson.

"I don't think the pupils' behaviour in lessons is very bad but the cameras seem to be having a positive impact."

Pupils at the school, in Clapham Road, have got used to the idea of being filmed all the time.

Alex Karapetian, 14, said: "At first, I thought it was a violation of privacy but changed my mind after a couple of weeks when I grew to accept the cameras."

Christina Fuller, 15, said: "The cameras are very good at resolving different points of view. You would have the evidence to look back and see what happened."

The cameras are leased from Hertfordshire-based company Classwatch at a cost of £15-£20 for each camera per quarter of a year.

The footage is downloaded on to CDs but cannot be viewed by anyone without permission from the head-teacher.

Parents are shown the cameras during a tour of the school when they apply for their child's place and many seem to support the idea.

Ramona Carnegie, 15, said: "My mum thought it was a good idea because of thefts. I don't really mind the cameras.

"Sometimes things can go wrong in the classroom. For example, accidents can happen and we need to know the details."

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