Our recent joint online survey received 845 responses from nurseries, which highlighted the importance of safety and safeguarding among early years staff, as well as concerns around issues such as the use of CCTV in settings.
While 645 nurseries said they had received feedback from Ofsted about their physical security measures, just 44 of those surveyed said they were ‘100 per cent confident’ about the criteria Ofsted uses regarding physical security in an inspection.
Other findings show that nurseries have mixed views on the use of CCTV in settings, although more than half of respondents see it as a positive tool to protect the nursery and team (54 per cent).
Forty-six per cent view CCTV as ‘a good tool to protect the building and deter intruders.’
A third (33 per cent) said they have concerns regarding data security.
However just over a quarter feel using CCTV in their nursery ‘shows a lack of trust in staff’ (27 per cent), while a slightly higher proportion (29 per cent) said they feel ‘ambivalent’ about its role.
Source: Nursery World Security & Safeguarding Survey, 2023
The survey findings also highlight how important nurseries view security with just under three-quarters (72 per cent) saying that a security breach would lead to a loss of reputation for their nursery, as well as financial loss (77 per cent) and disruption (64 per cent) when asked about the impact this would have on their setting.
Following the survey findings, Nursery World has partnered with Almas Industries to host a webinar, Playing safe: why nursery security is a top priority, which will be chaired by Liz Roberts, former editor-in-chief of Nursery World.
Almas Industries is an expert in delivering nursery security solutions, including advanced access control systems and CCTV safety monitoring, and understands the delicate balance between ensuring superior security and respecting privacy, while doing it all compliantly.
Hear from Gemma Wakley, UK Sales Manager, for Almas Industries, and our panel of nursery experts.
The expert panel includes:
Sarah Dimsdale, Senior HMI, Early Years, Ofsted
John Warren, Director of Toddletown Nurseries and Toddleworld Franchise, and early years consultant
Liberty Butcher, Health, Safety and Environment Manager for Storal Nurseries
Robert Lee, Health & Safety Manager, Childbase Partnership
Dhanvanti Deshmukh, Nursery Manager, London Early Years Foundation
The one-hour webinar runs from 1-2pm on 18 January.
- Register for the free webinar here