Security at schools is the topic hot on the lips of Harold head teachers following the recent spate of playground vandalism.

Altogether, 35 windows were smashed at St Ursula's Junior School, Straight Road, Harold Hill during the night on Sunday, March 19, prompting head teacher Ursula Murphy to reveal the school was considering installing CCTV cameras.

Now other schools are embracing vandal-busting ideas too. Judith Puttick, head teacher of Brookside Infant School, Dagnam Park Drive, believes the only way to beat the hooligan is with comprehensive security and the school is already planning more CCTV.

Despite the 18 month presence of CCTV at the back of adjacent Brookside Junior School, vandals were still able to create £2,500 of damage to windows at the infants in January. Further CCTV has now been installed in the schools' car park and a £4,000 perimeter fence is being erected during the Easter holidays.

But Brookside is not leaving anything to chance. Head teacher Judith Puttick said: "We want to install more CCTV as the vandals simply moved their efforts to avoid being caught on camera.

"We are now considering cameras at the front and side of the school too."

But head teacher Trevor Scott, headteacher of similarly CCTV protected Harold Wood JMI School, Recreation Drive believes security solutions are dependent on the needs of the individual school.

Mr Scott said: "If a particular site is vulnerable it should embrace the new technology.

"Security is something our school is always looking at and we have just put more external locks on doors and reduced the number of school entrances.

"We get specific security grants from the Government and this provides us with ways of continuing to improve the child's safety."

Mr Scott was backed by a Harold Hill head teacher, who said: "We do not have CCTV but then fortunately, so far, we have not had a problem with vandalism.

"But the governors will certainly consider it."

Mrs Murphy expects a decision by St Ursula's governors on the CCTV question within two weeks.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.