School Security: Speed Turnstiles For Controlling Site Access

Safeguarding students and staff in educational settings is a paramount concern. School leaders and site managers must consider how access to school sites is monitored and controlled.

Although they’re often seen in office buildings and transport hubs, speed turnstiles can provide a modern, effective solution for schools as well.

Here’s how speed turnstiles can improve your site security and statutory safeguarding obligations.

Enhanced Security

The main benefit of speed turnstiles is improved security. They help to prevent unauthorised access by ensuring that only students, staff and registered visitors with valid ID cards or entrance fobs, can enter the premises. When combined with automatic sliding doors, they drastically reduce the ability for unauthorised personnel to enter the building.

With their advanced sensors and high speed of operation, they are designed to prevent “tailgating,” or, “piggybacking,” where multiple people enter on one single authorised credential. For example, when several people walk through a sliding door when only one has presented an access fob.

And their presence alone acts as a physical and psychological barrier to unwanted access. Their visibility signals that people are entering a secure environment, and presents an extra obstacle that a potential intruder would have to overcome.

Access Monitoring

To further improve school safeguarding, speed turnstiles can be integrated with school management systems to help monitor and track attendance. By requiring the presentation of ID or access fobs, they can log entry and exit times which makes it easier to keep an eye on punctuality and attendance.

In the event of an evacuation, real-time data from the turnstiles can help staff to understand who is inside the building. This helps staff respond to emergency situations and have an improved knowledge of who should be at the evacuation points.

Controlling Zones

With sophisticated options for access control, school leaders can set rules tailored to their sites. For example, student access could be restricted to times during the school day, while staff have access to start early and leave later. For residential schools, they can also provide access to dormitories for those who stay on site.

System Integrations

Speed turnstiles are known for their ability to integrate with existing security and site management platforms. For example, they can be linked with CCTV systems to record all entry and exit attempts, providing crucial visual evidence in the event of a security incident or site breach.

They also integrate with fire alarm systems, which is a crucial requirement for compliance. During a fire or other emergency, the fire detection system sends a signal to the turnstile barriers to automatically open and remain open. This creates a clear, unrestricted pathway for the smooth evacuation of large numbers of pupils and staff.

And there’s no need to worry about a system malfunction, as all speed turnstiles feature a manual override feature allowing authorised personnel to manually open the turnstiles in the unlikely event that the automated system fails.

Hygiene Control

Speed turnstiles also offer significant benefits for hygiene control, helping prevent the spread of germs and keeping your staff and pupils healthy and in school.

Traditional door handles, keypads or even card readers require physical contact, becoming vectors for germ transmission. But with options for contactless entry, turnstiles prevent multiple people touching the same surface. And being constructed from materials such as stainless steel, they’re non-porous and easy to disinfect.

Speed Turnstile Installation

Speed turnstiles offer schools a smart, cost-effective way to improve site security, streamline attendance tracking, and better manage access to sensitive areas. As part of a wider safeguarding strategy, they help create a safer, more controlled environment for students and staff alike.

If you’re managing a primary, secondary, or further education site, speed turnstiles are worth considering as part of your long-term facilities planning.

For a free no-obligation chat about how speed turnstiles can help your school improve its security and safeguarding procedures, get in touch with one of the team and we’ll be happy to give your more information.