The Big Brother school with 100 CCTV cameras beaming images to headmaster

 

Last updated at 14:07pm on 11th September 2007 Comments

100 CCTV cameras join a raft of other surveillance methods keeping track of pupils at an Essex school

 

 

 

 

A high-tech school is adopting Big Brother techniques to keep track of its pupils.

Chalvedon School, in Pitsea, Essex, is getting CCTV stills and video beamed to the headmaster in a bid to crack down on truants.

The 1800-strong school, which is soon to become an academy after a merger, also plans to use iris recognition and fingerprinting to make sure students are in classes when they should be.

 

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Students are already monitored from 100 digital cameras watching them as soon as they enter school grounds.

The cameras are linked to a central control room and footage can be accessed by teachers on their lap tops to nip bullying and bad behaviour in the bud.

Deputy headteacher Simon Gosden said: "We are working with the Pitsea town centre manager who passes on images so pupils can be identified.

"It has been very useful, especially to convince parents who previously refused to believe their children had been truanting.

"Chalvedon are leading the way in this type of security and we have one of the most sophisticated CCTV systems in any school."

The system has been hailed a success after six parents from the school were prosecuted for their child's truanting in the past year. Attendance levels have also increased to 91 per cent.

Mr Gosden played down concerns that the surveillance in the school may be too intrusive for young students.

He added: "When children are outside the school they are at risk and we and their parents do not want that.

"We have the support of most parents and noone has complained about the measures being too intrusive.

"Attendance is up but we are never satisfied and are striving for rates of 99 per cent."

Headteacher Alan Roach added: "We are looking to include fingerprint or even iris recognition in the security system.

"This would allow instant pupil registration as soon as they eter the building and tell us when they were off site. It is expensive but well worth it."

But a human rights group has expressed concerns about the level of security measures taken to keep watch on the children.

Mairi Clare Rodgers, from Liberty, said: "Before rushing to use this extensive surveillance on the children, the school should consider whether it is really proportionate and necessary.

"Before schemes like this become the norm, we must question if the biometric data of children is being shares, has permission been sought from the parents and is there truly no alternative."

 

Where has I seen that before?

 

Where has I seen that before?

 

"Clockwise", by any chance??:rolleyes:

Oh yes

Oh yes

 

I believe that film was made in the days before widespread CCTV, though!:rolleyes:

1984 was written before cctv was invented wasn't it?

1984 was written before cctv was invented wasn't it?

 

But I'm pretty sure Clockwise had nothing to do with it.:rolleyes:

If you have nothing to hide than there isn't any problem of being on CCTV IMO