ATL

85% of teachers have CCTV in their schools and nearly 25% worry about hidden cameras - ATL

85 per cent of teachers say that they have CCTV in their schools and nearly a quarter worry about hidden cameras within their building. In the majority of cases, according to members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the surveillance cameras are covering the school grounds and entrances to the school, but nearly 10 per cent say CCTV is operating in the toilets.

These are the key findings in a preliminary survey of teachers and lecturers working in both independent and state schools throughout the UK. An ATL working group is looking into the use of CCTV in schools and colleges, and will produce best practice guidance at the end of the year.

According to the survey, 98 per cent of teachers say that CCTV is primarily used for security and monitoring vandalism around the building. However, over half of the teachers reported that the surveillance is also present inside the school to monitor the behaviour of the pupils within school hours.

Nearly a quarter of teachers surveyed said they were worried about hidden cameras within their school environments. A teacher in a state school expressed a common view that "regular use of cameras in class would be intimidating."

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, commented: "No one really knows enough about the use of CCTV in schools - it's a very new issue. We have set up a working group to look into the use of CCTV and produce ATL guidelines on best practice for schools and colleges throughout the UK.

"Certainly we would want staff to be involved in decisions about the use of CCTV in schools, and strict safeguards for its use. Although surveillance in schools can have some positive outcomes, such as discouraging vandalism and violence, we think there are some instances where it should be strictly controlled."

The vast majority of teachers questioned believed that CCTV made them feel safer within their school environment. Tonia Matthews, teacher at Trinity secondary school in West Berkshire, says that "students feel secure to know if there has been an incident, ie bullying. We can then go back and look what happened." Another member, Elaine Brown, from Portchester secondary school in Bournemouth, reinforces this belief by saying that the use of CCTV in her school has "helped to reduce bullying considerably." However, over half of the teachers involved in the survey thought the presence of CCTV cameras would not result in students behaving any differently.

Over 50 per cent of the teachers surveyed admit to concerns about the use of CCTV around their schools. A teacher from a special school in Northamptonshire states that she objects to "general monitoring of staff" and is also "not sure that all management can be trusted to just use it with notification and in agreement for CPD."

Members also say there are circumstances where they would prefer the surveillance to be disabled - such as "in the classroom, where you would always feel like you were being watched and judged".

Nearly two-thirds of teachers surveyed do not know what security measures their school has for use of CCTV within their schools, and are not sure about the policies for restricting the use of surveillance data. One of the problems caused by this lack of knowledge is noted by Louise Davies, a teacher from a secondary school in Brighton, who stated that "where there is not a high level of trust; staff may have concerns that evidence may be gathered against them".

However, 61 per cent of teachers said that CCTV can have positive uses. A teacher in an independent school stated that surveillance within the school building has "reduced the level of abuse issues against staff and students"; and another added that "in the classroom, it can be a useful tool for professional development". Despite this, the general consensus from the survey is that classroom surveillance is an invasion of privacy, disrupts education and "should not be allowed in the classroom, where you would always feel like you were being watched and judged".

Notes to editors:

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.
2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first-rate research, advice, information and legal advice.
3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). The union is a member of the social partnership - working with the UK government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.