Concern for safety at schools has seen exceptional growth over the last few decades, and the provision of security services within the educational setting, whether in primary education or at university, requires particularly attention to details that may be less of a concern at commercial operations. Schools have a lot of people coming and going, and it requires professionals who are prepared to deal with the hectic working environment that security personnel typically go to extraordinary lengths to avoid. Many people underestimate the steps that security organisations need to go to in order to effectively, efficiently, and unobtrusively provide an increase in security and safety within an educational setting, so this article hopes to reveal a number of important points to consider.

As security professionals at schools have to work in an environment with lots of minors, safeguarding can become a key responsibility. Besides ensuring that no security staff are potentially dangerous to children, it is also important that they can restrict access to the premises to only those with a legitimate reason to be there. This means that operating a key card system so that only authorised personnel can access the premises will play an important role in any security solution that a school will put in place. Schools and universities security services will also have to content with a massive number of people coming and going from key areas, and while ID systems can play an important role, they also need to show understanding regarding lost keycards, as this will be a common occurrence among student populations. These facts require that an ID system needs the continuous oversight from operatives qualified at managing the system from a technical standpoint, which can increase the training demands.

Security for schools also have to content with large numbers of people turning up for occasional events as they often rent out space for corporate and scientific conferences. In events like this, security professionals can play a key role in making sure everything and everyone is in place to facilitate the event.

Unlike in commercial premises, schools cater to a very diverse group of students that can mean that interpersonal conflict is much more common, leading to an increased requirement for the presence of security personnel. In events like this, as the individuals may also be underage, security personnel also require specific training for de-escalating conflict so that children remain safe. As disruptive children also have the right to education, personnel will also need to be able to coordinate with the school and with police authorities regarding how to manage certain situations regarding specific individuals.

As with any security service, a key role for any schools and universities security services to fulfil is with mobile patrols of the premises after hours. There is often very expensive equipment on the property, as well as an abundance of personal property that needs to be preserved, and mobile patrols represent a key deterrent in any security strategy. It also aids in the quick response times that many of these services offer regarding triggered alarms. Whether that be accidental triggering by authorised personnel, or by something more nefarious, quick response times are an important aspect of any high quality schools and universities security service.