How secure should a playground be?

[cheekymunchkin]

I'd really appreciate some thoughts on this - not sure if I am just being paranoid mum or whether I am right to be concerned. The gates to our school primary school are always left open - even when the children are playing outside at break and lunch times. Apparently it is inconvenient to close them - never mind secured in some way - because of visitors and deliveries. I am really worried about this, as although the children are supervised outside there is no physical barrier to any of them leaving, and the youngest ones are only 4 years old. I just wondered whether this was the norm in school playgrounds or whether others were more secure? A couple of concerns have been raised by parents but nothing has changed. It is a village school but only 2 minutes to a busy road.

The gates to my kids school are closed. there are two gates, and they both have a bolt on the outside of the gate. So you can get un, but it is very difficult for the kids to get out. They would have to put their hand over the top of the gate, and open the bolt on the other side. Having opened the first, they would then have to do this on the second. They are also supervised while outside, but all of this increases the security IMHO

Ours are closed and visitors have to buzz the office to be let in.

The gates to my kids school are closed and padlocked between 9:15 and 3:00. All visitors have to be buzzed in through the pedestrian gate and can be seen by camera at the gate. The padlock combination is changed every half term as it is inevitable that people get to know it - out of hours workmen, cleaners, PTA members coming in at weekends etc.

having open gates sounds v. dangerous to me, both from kids getting out, and strangers wandering in off the street

Sequential set of two gates, both locked at all times between 8:55 and 3:30. Visitors and parents can buzz for entry to the office through the front door (not through the playground). Cameras all round, monitors in the office. London, in case you hadn't already worked that out.

Ours are closed and visitors have to buzz the office to be let in.

Gates? What gates? At my last and also my present school the only thing stopping children leaving is some rickety low wall or fence. More of a boundary marker rather than an obstacle. If they decided to run away at the last place they'd have a fair old walk. Here I'm near very busy roads and London so its slightly different.

our playground as access to a preschool through it so the gate is never locked. It doesnt even shut properly.

Also we have no self locking doors so anyone can walk into school.

Even when I lived on a remote island, with only 8 pupils in the school, we used to keep the gates shut. Mind you that was more to keep the wildlife out than the kids in

When you live in a built up area (even a small village) I would have thought it was imperative that the gates were at least shut, if not locked. I hate to bring it up, but Dunblane is a small village.

Playground gate is locked during school hours. Visitors have to buzz the office at the front entrance at other times.

Thanks for everyone's comments - it is really useful to know what other schools do. Does anyone know who is responsible for this sort of thing - it is a state primary?

Over the last few weeks I have been in and out of about 35 primary schools...

varies from school to school, some have gates bolted and some have gaps in the fence no gates. Almost all have classroom assistants and/or teachers in the playgrounds at playtimes though. Often the littleones are restricted to certain areas of the playground closer to the school.

Doors into our school secure at all times, gate to playground closed but not shut but gate now is soon to be fitted with a lock and will only be buzzed open from the office. It seems to be down to individual schools/persuasive power of head + parents but I think the funding comes from the lea so it'll be the old question of priorities and lack of resources. I'm sure the ideal is to have all doors and gates locked with only the staff being able to open them but the money isn't there to do it. It's situations like Dunblane that prompt schools/leas into action. Horse, stable door, bolted, anyone?

Mine are in a church state primary and we have locked gates whereby you need to buzz in, out of hours.
The school and the annual governor's contributions paid for them I think. We also have CCTV