CCTV for schools, academies and colleges
Most school losses happen when the school is closed, so a school system is designed from the perimeter inwards. This guide covers what eight cameras cover on a primary and sixteen on a secondary, where cameras must never go, and the data-protection duties a school carries that an ordinary business does not — DPO, DPIA, signage and a written policy. We supply the equipment; you or your installer fits it.
8-camera systems: Small primary: gate, reception, bike shed, bin store, playground
Eight cameras cover a small primary: the main gate, the visitor entrance and reception, the bike shed, the bin store and any roof access point, the playground, the car park and the service door.
Drives from 2 TB to 20 TB in this band.
Hikvision 8-channel CCTV kit8cameras5MP
- 8× 5MP Turret
8-channel DVR · 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a shop or small business
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 8-channel CCTV kit8cameras5MP
- 8× 5MP Turret
8-channel DVR · 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a shop or small business
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 8-channel CCTV kit8cameras5MP
- 8× 5MP Bullet
8-channel DVR · 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a shop or small business
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 8-channel CCTV kit8cameras5MP
- 8× 5MP Turret
8-channel DVR · 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a shop or small business
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
16-camera systems: Secondary: sports hall, MUGA, several gates, delivery yard
Sixteen is normal for a secondary with a sports hall, a MUGA, several gates and a delivery yard. Choose survivability over resolution at this scale: IK10 turrets outlive plastic-bubble domes.
Drives from 5 TB to 48 TB in this band.
Hikvision 16-channel CCTV kit16cameras5MP
- 16× 5MP Turret
16-channel DVR · 2× 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a large property or yard
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 16-channel CCTV kit16cameras5MP
- 16× 5MP Turret
16-channel DVR · 2× 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a large property or yard
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 16-channel CCTV kit16cameras5MP
- 16× 5MP Turret
16-channel DVR · 2× 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a large property or yard
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Hikvision 16-channel CCTV kit16cameras5MP
- 16× 5MP Turret
16-channel DVR · 2× 10TB
Keeps about 28 days of footage
Covers a large property or yard
Reuses the round coax cable of an older system
Not sure how many cameras you need?
Answer three questions and the finder narrows the range to systems that fit your site.
What are you covering?
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How to design school CCTV
Most school losses happen when the school is closed — ICT suites, catering stock, lead and copper off flat roofs, and arson at the bin store — so design the perimeter and the approaches first and the interior second.
Eight cameras covers a small primary: the main gate, the visitor entrance and reception, the bike shed, the bin store and any roof access point, the playground, the car park and the service door. Sixteen is normal for a secondary with a sports hall, a MUGA, several gates and a delivery yard.
Where cameras must not go is as much of the design as where they go. The ICO says CCTV should not be running in toilets or changing rooms; that is not a judgement call. Corridors and the dining hall are defensible on safeguarding and behaviour grounds if you have written down why. Classrooms need strong, specific justification and should never be the default.
Schools carry duties an ordinary business does not. Maintained schools and academy trusts are public authorities for data protection purposes, so appointing a DPO is mandatory, though one DPO can serve a whole trust. A DPIA is expected wherever processing is high risk, and CCTV that records children routinely is. Signage has to be visible and readable by a child as well as a parent, and your CCTV policy needs the lawful basis, the named owner, the security measures, who footage is shared with, and how long it is kept. There is no statutory maximum retention — you set a period you can justify and let the recorder overwrite.
On hardware, choose survivability over resolution. An IK10-rated turret at 3 m survives a football and a determined Year 9; a plastic-bubble dome at 2.5 m does not. Outside, use ColorVu or Smart Hybrid Light at the gates so a night-time description has a colour in it, and AcuSense-class human and vehicle filtering so the recorder is not full of four hundred fox alerts by morning. Inside, 4 MP is plenty and buys you days of retention that 8 MP spends on detail nobody reviews.
Sources: The ICO's video surveillance guidance · The ICO's CCTV advice for small organisations
CCTV for schools, academies and colleges — common questions
Is CCTV allowed in schools?
Yes, with a documented lawful basis and transparency. The ICO's rules apply in full: visible signage, a written CCTV policy, a defined retention period and restricted access. What is not allowed is CCTV in toilets or changing rooms — the ICO names those as private areas where CCTV should not be running.