Long-Term Commitment Throughout the Pandemic
UK state primary schools remained open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children. Adding to the complexity of managing remote as well as on-site teaching was the fact that some staff were either ill or having to self-isolate. When the site manager at this primary school in the North East went into self-isolation and then subsequently left, the headteacher needed an immediate, trusted alternative to be responsible for the daily unlocking and locking of the school for an open-ended period of time.
The Story in Brief:
- Day to day security checks and the opening and closing of the school during the week and out of hours is usually carried out by an on-site manager.
- When the site manager was unable to carry out this role during the first wave of the pandemic, the headteacher asked us to extend our existing security provision (keyholding, alarm monitoring and response) to temporarily include daily locking/unlocking.
- We swiftly sent a mobile team to conduct a site survey and key audit and put the service in place on the same day that we received the headteacher’s request
A Trusted Supplier
We began providing keyholding and alarm monitoring and response services to this well-established primary school in 2019
“Prior to this, provision was made through the local authority but this arrangement ceased,” explains the headteacher, “so our business manager conducted a procurement process and concluded that Securitas could deliver the services we were looking for at a competitive price.”
As keyholders, we are just a phone call away and ready to send a mobile patrol unit to the site at any time of day or night to provide access to authorised members of staff. The school’s intruder and fire alarm system is linked to the Securitas Operations Centre and on the occasions it has been triggered, we have quickly despatched a mobile patrol unit to identify the issue, secure the building and reset the alarm.
“This service provides real peace of mind – especially at night” confirms the headteacher, “I know that they will investigate thoroughly and report back to reassure me that everything is okay.”
Rapid Response
When, in the spring of 2020, the need for a short term lock/unlock service at the school arose, we were the first people the headteacher thought of. Within a short time of her call, one of our team leaders had arrived at the school and carried out a site survey and key audit.
This process identified all the locking doors and shutters and their respective keys and agreed with the headteacher what was to be unlocked and locked at the start and close of each day. The service began that very day and continued for several months until a new site-manager was in post.
“Without a site manager either I or one of my teaching staff would have to be there to lock and unlock whenever access was required,” the head explains, “This would include opening up for contractors such as cleaners during weekends and school holidays.” The school was charged for the temporary lock/unlock service on a per day basis – a flexible, cost-effective approach,
Recently the site manager received a notification from the NHS Test and Trace app and had to self-isolate. “Once again Securitas rode to the rescue and provided a short term lock/unlock service,” says the head, “It’s very reassuring to know that they can be there whenever I need them and the Securitas officers who come to the school are, without exception, pleasant and reliable. I would certainly recommend them.”
“This service provides real peace of mind – especially at night” confirms the headteacher, “I know that they will investigate thoroughly and report back to reassure me that everything is okay.”
