News

In total there are thought to be at least 100,000 cameras installed in classrooms and corridors across Britain, with 90% of secondaries and academies using them. Some institutions have a CCTV camera for every five pupils, while one school in the northwest has put 20 in its lavatories and sports changing rooms.

Big Brother Watch, the privacy campaign group that obtained the figures through Freedom of Information requests, said parents should be worried about the level of surveillance being directed at their children and the authorities' lack of accountability.

It said head teachers should disclose why footage is being recorded and who is allowed to view it.

In total 2,107 secondary schools and academies in England, Scotland and Wales provided data about their use of CCTV.
It is estimated that the total number of cameras in all schools is 106,710, despite an apparent lack of research about their effect on cutting crime and bad behaviour.

On average there is one camera for every 38 pupils but many schools had more than one for every 15 students. Christ the King school in Knowsley had one camera for every five pupils, the highest ratio found.