The brief
St Michael’s School is set in 90 acres of Kent countryside in Otford, near Sevenoaks, with in excess of 400 prep and pre-prep pupils. Christine Young, the bursar, wanted to improve security and have better control over who had access to particular areas. The existing electronic system “was not providing the flexibility of control we required.”
Free access was needed through the main entrance and perimeter doors during the school day, with most classrooms and corridors open for staff and pupils. Out of hours, the school needed to control who could enter the building, when, and which areas: the swimming pool is hired to local clubs and function rooms are hired out, so visitors needed access to those areas only.
The solution
Declan Molyneux, the proprietor of Mole Electrics, recommended Net2, a network access control system manufactured by Paxton Access, his preferred supplier for its ease of installation and use. Net2 now controls 48 doors across two buildings, connected over the school’s network using TCP/IP converters so both run as one system with central control. Converters are also used between floors in the main building to save on wiring.
The original mansion has a wealth of wood panelling and original doors, so the installation was kept as discreet as possible, using Paxton vandal-proof readers set into the door frames. In the converted stable block, the gated playground and reception office also have access control, timed for free access in school hours. Sourcing locks for the large stable doors was a challenge that Declan overcame.
How it runs
Doors unlock at set times for free movement and revert to locked outside them. Science classrooms stay locked until a science teacher presents their card, and the gym and pool need an authorised user. Pool terrace doors have door contacts linked to Net2 with an audible and strobe alarm if they are left open, which also stopped expensive pool heat being lost outdoors.
Visitors for the pool or functions get tokens that open only the route they need. For a parents’ evening, the main doors can be left unlocked for longer with a simple change in the software.