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In the past, all that was required to record visitors in schools was a simple sign-in book with their names, signatures, times, and vehicle numbers. Now, with an increased demand for safety and security, it’s becoming necessary for educational officials to provide visitor management systems for schools to offer a greater degree of safety for students and employees.
Visitor management systems increase safety in education facilities in several ways. They enable schools to track and monitor who enters and exits the building, restrict access to authorised individuals, keep real-time logs of individuals inside the premises and help speed up emergency evacuations.
In this blog post, we will be looking further into the benefits and the importance of providing high-quality visitor management systems for schools.
Ease of Use
The ease of use of visitor management systems tends to be one of the most important considerations for educational facilities looking to integrate them into their buildings. This applies not only to visitors checking in but also to the administrators in charge of managing the system’s database.
These systems are simple to use, and make the sign-in and out process quick, efficient, and paperless. To sign in and out of the premises, visitors, students, and employees can simply scan or swipe their unique identification device, eliminating the need for them to scroll through a long list of names.
Access Control
Given the multitude of factors that could compromise the security of educational facilities, school officials have a legal obligation to provide a duty of care to both their employees and students by creating a safe and secure learning environment. This is where a visitor management system comes in.
These systems can be easily integrated with access control via RFID door access. An RFID reader can be incorporated into the system, allowing users with identification devices such as cards or fobs to swipe or tap the device against a built-in entry device to automate the sign-in process.
Through this integration, visitor management systems can create a physical barrier that denies access to the building to anyone who has not been issued an identification device. This creates a safer environment for students and employees by only allowing access to those who have permission to enter the building and providing administrators with records of everyone on-site.
DBS Check Integration
Under Ofsted Regulations, schools must adhere to government policies and procedures to ensure that visitors and employees are appropriate and have undergone the necessary checks before being granted access to the building.
One of these requirements includes a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. All visitors and employees of an educational facility must provide an up-to-date DBS so that any criminal records can be cross-referenced before being granted access to the school.
Visitor management systems can serve as a single central record of DBS checks for employees and visitors, as well as a tool for pre-conducting DBS checks on visitors to protect students and employees, and storing this information for future visits.
The system can also help manage when DBS checks are about to expire and must be renewed for educational environments. The system will set several ongoing reminders so facilities can ensure that employee DBS records are fully up to date.
Access to the Right Areas
Visitor management systems with integrated access control can be used to restrict access to specific areas of the school, such as an office with important equipment, an IT room, or a storage room with hazardous scientific equipment.
Employees and students can be assigned to various lists that establish where their credentials can and cannot be accessed based on their status and department.
You can also use approval-based visitor management systems to ensure that no external visitors can access restricted areas of the building unless they are granted access, further ensuring that only authorised employees can access sensitive areas.
Real-time Records
Visitor management systems can provide you with real-time data on the people in your building.
By recording information such as individual names, the reason for the visit, and the times they enter and exit, these systems enable educational institutions to effectively monitor the movements of people within their premises. This information also allows administrators to gain valuable insights into visitor patterns.
This could be extremely valuable information for educational facilities because this real-time information improves levels of security and allows for an accurate response in the event of an emergency.
Emergency Management
There are two things an emergency evacuation should be: quick and efficient. To accomplish this, having real-time information on who is on-site is crucial. When completing roll calls in schools, you will have to account for different groups, including students, employees and visitors. This can often take up a large chunk of time in an emergency evacuation.
This is where a visitor management system is highly beneficial. These systems can help to streamline emergency evacuations, particularly in large-scale facilities like schools, colleges and universities. They make this process more manageable by eliminating the need for headcounts and paper lists, which can often be inaccurate due to human error and still include the names of those who are not present in the building at that particular time.
They provide those completing the roll call with an accurate, real-time evacuation list and a centralised view of who is on-site, not only speeding up the process but also making it more accurate by ensuring everyone in your building is accounted for and mitigating the possibility of errors.
Given the benefits they provide, all educational facilities should consider having a reputable supplier install one of these systems on their premises. This is something that we can assist with.
At North East Time Recorders, we provide high-quality visitor management solutions and are fully qualified to install an InVentry Visitor Management System in your school. These systems are specially designed for the education sector and are an ideal solution for unmanned receptions and employee entrances.
To learn more about visitor management systems for schools, get in touch with a member of our team today.
For more information on The Importance of Visitor Management Systems for Schools talk to North East Time Recorders Ltd