Free School CCTV Layout CCTV Design Tool
Schools are dense with people and dense with privacy obligations. This layout covers entrances, corridors, perimeter and parking with cameras placed where they help — never inside classrooms, changing rooms or toilets.
16-48
Typical cameras
3,000-8,000 sqm
Typical area
Privacy: classrooms and toilets are off-limits
challenge
Recommended camera zones
| Zone | Camera type | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main entrance / reception | Bullet / IR | 4-8 | One bullet on the approach (face-readable at 5 m) plus one dome inside reception for ID-card pickup view. |
| Corridors and stairwells | Dome / Corridor Mode | 6-16 | Corridor-mode dome every 20–25 m, plus one at each stairwell turn — covers movement without intruding on classrooms. |
| Lobbies and assembly halls | Dome / Fisheye | 2-6 | Fisheye or 360° dome at the apex — covers the whole hall in one stream with no blind spots. |
| Parking and drop-off zone | Bullet / LPR | 2-8 | Bullet with ANPR at the entry gate, plus IR bullets covering pedestrian crossings and bike racks. |
| Playground and sports field | PTZ / Bullet | 2-10 | Long-range PTZ on the building corner, or two fixed bullets covering opposite ends of the field. |
Key challenges for
Privacy: classrooms and toilets are off-limits
Most safeguarding regimes forbid cameras inside classrooms, changing rooms and toilets. Plan coverage of corridors and entrances, never the spaces themselves — and document the policy.
Outdoor: playgrounds, sports fields, perimeter
Open ground exposes cameras to weather, sun glare and ball strikes. Use IK10 weatherproof housings and aim cameras with the sun behind them, not in front.
Vandalism: cameras at reachable height
Anything below 3 m gets tagged, sprayed or yanked. Use vandal-rated (IK10) domes flush-mounted, or move cameras to 3.5–4 m and accept narrower aisle coverage in exchange.
Crowd density at break times
200 students moving through one corridor in 90 seconds — single bodies vanish in the flow. Use higher frame rate (25 fps min) and 4 MP+ resolution so individual faces stay readable.
Pro tips for
Mount at 3.5–4 m minimum on outdoor walls — anything lower gets vandalised within a term.
Aim corridor cameras DOWN the corridor, not across — corridor mode (9:16) gives 2-3× the pixel density on faces.
Document a written CCTV policy and post visible signage at every entrance — required under most data-protection regimes.
Avoid pointing cameras at neighbouring residential properties — many regimes treat that as a personal-data breach.
Limit retention to 7–30 days unless an incident is logged — over-retention is the #1 finding in school CCTV audits.
Frequently asked questions
Can we put cameras inside classrooms?
In most jurisdictions, no. UK ICO, Polish UODO, German DSGVO, French CNIL all treat continuous classroom monitoring as disproportionate. Cameras at corridor doors covering the threshold are usually acceptable — inside the room is not.
How many cameras does a typical secondary school need?
16–32 for a 600–1,200 student school. Roughly: 2–4 entrance, 8–16 corridor/stair, 2–4 lobby/hall, 2–4 parking, 2–4 perimeter/playground. Multiply by ~1.5 for sprawling campus layouts with multiple buildings.
What recording retention is appropriate?
14–30 days is standard. Most data-protection regimes require you to justify retention — 'in case something happens' isn't enough. Set a default 14-day window and only extend it on documented incidents.
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