High school installing CCTV cameras in toilets in bid to curb anti-social behaviour

West Craven High School in Barnoldswick is fitting the devices in all pupil toilets at the request of the students.

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The lenses will be positioned towards the doors and will only be monitored if a problem is reported, the school has said.

The Kelbrook Road school, rated good by Ofsted, added that the cameras will help keep the children safe, crackdown on any bullying and ensure that the toilets are not damaged.

The toilets were refurbished as part of a £6.2m construction project at the school which finished earlier this year.

Headteacher Craig Baker said: “We would not have gone ahead with this if we had any concerns over privacy.

“The camera will be facing towards the door and will only be monitored if a problem is reported to us.

“The new cubicles are all the right height and once someone is in there then they can’t be seen at all.

“The students, though schemes like the student council, have let us know that this is something that they would like and can help prevent bullying or other anti-social behaviour in the toilets.

“It is not as a result of a specific incident or a rise in bullying in the school and if anything that is going the other way.

“They are new toilets and the students did not want them to be ruined and they said that this is a good way to help prevent that.

“We have written to parents to let them know and I would like to invite any parent who has any concerns or extra questions to come and see the CCTV system for themselves and talk to me.”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: “We have got to be careful about the over use of CCTV.

“They are useful but we need to make sure that we are not recording every aspect of children’s lives.

“I have a lot of respect for the headteacher at West Craven High School and it is showing a lot of significant improvement at the moment.

“Clearly this is backed by the students and staff and they are doing it for the right reasons.

“We should still be careful about how much of our lives are recorded however.”

In a letter to parents, assistant headteacher Julie Grimshaw said: “Please be aware that, at the request of students, CCTV cameras are being fitted in the sink area of the students’ toilets in order to keep children safe and make sure there are no incidents of bullying in the toilets, as well as to ensure that the new toilets are not damaged.

“Please be assured that cameras do not look into the cubicles and in no way invade student privacy.”

Cllr Richard Milner, who represents the area on Pendle Council, said: “My daughter goes to the school and it’s something that the pupils have asked for.

“It’s all about safety and the prevention of anti-social behaviour.

“It maybe is not something that all schools would want to look at but if it works at the school then it isclearly the right choice.”

The move comes after recent figures showed that bullying and violence in East Lancashire schools has reduced since 2005.

According to data released by the Department for Education, there were 30,000 fewer children in England facing bullying than a decade previously, thanks to sharp falls in violent threats and physical attacks.