What's New
Press Releases
Jobs
Training
Exhibitions
|
|
Press Releases
|
IDENTITY DILEMMA
Know who's who in your school
14th September 2001
Student ID cards - adds security
|
Full time, part time and temporary staff, peripatetic teachers, groundskeepers and parent helpers are just a few of the people regularly seen in and around a school, not forgetting the many parents and visitors who attend a school less frequently. If a stranger, unconnected with the school, were discovered wandering around the grounds or buildings, staff would probably be concerned as to the person's reasons for being there. However, if as a result of the frequent numbers of people coming and going, no one realised that this person was not authorised to be in the school, he or she might well be allowed to continue! Would any member of staff be aware that this person was not entitled to be there? Schools are and should be open and friendly learning environments for our children but to remain safe they should have a method of easily identifying whether adults are legitimately on the premises. One solution is to introduce photo ID cards for all adults including those mentioned above, volunteers, regular visitors and any non-uniformed sixth form students.
Introducing a policy of wearing photo ID cards can help solve the dilemma caused by unidentified adults in a school. Every person entitled to be there would wear their identity card, increasing the feeling of safety and security. If all staff, parents and students are educated about the reasons for introducing an ID policy, they will ensure that they abide by it and always wear their ID card or obtain a visitor pass when they spend time in the school. Any stranger in the school grounds will stand out because of their lack of ID and immediate action can be taken. It may well be innocuous, perhaps someone visiting for the day who simply requires a visitor badge from reception, but better safe than sorry.
Types of ID card systems vary in size and price according to schools requirements and budgets. For example if the number of photo ID cards required is less than 500, a cost-effective way of producing them is to use an ID card bureau. The benefits of using a bureau are that it eliminates the need to purchase a system and card printer costing between £5000 and £10,000, and it provides the expertise to quickly produce the ID cards and maintain a database of all cardholders which can be updated whenever necessary.
If the requirement is more than 1500 cards there is a range of software packages and ID card printers suitable for producing larger quantities. Bigger educational establishments such as universities are well suited to purchasing their own system, giving them control over ID card production on-site for both staff and students.
Whichever system is chosen, the production methods are similar. A photograph of each cardholder is needed, taken either with a digital camera (the image is downloaded into the software) or a standard camera (the picture is scanned into the software). The card design or layout is created, usually including a school emblem, crest or motto, and often colour coding for quick and easy identification of teaching staff, non-teaching staff and students. Additional functions can be incorporated such as a barcode to use the ID card as a library card, a magnetic stripe for access control purposes, or even a smart card chip for cashless vending and electronic purse. The database stores the photo and relevant cardholder details such as name, job title, department, date of card issue, expiry date, etc, allowing a professional ID card to be produced in just a couple of minutes.
There are many different options for displaying ID cards, including rigid and flexible holders, clips, pins, lanyards and yo-yos, all of which are comfortable to wear and give high visibility.
For further information, please contact:
Ed Heyden, Securit World, Tel: 0208 266 3400, fax: 0208 203 1027.
By Ed Heyden
|
|
|
