Body cameras on trial in English schools
A new pilot scheme where teachers wear police-style body cameras is being trialled by two schools in England.
According to a BBC Newsbeat report, a criminal justice researcher from the University of Portsmouth has revealed that all teachers from two “normal” state secondary schools are wearing the cameras during a three-month trial period.
Would you trial body cameras in your school? Please share your opinion with us by submitting your answer here.
The schools cannot be named, but the researcher, Tom Ellis, added:
The teachers will be wearing the cameras very visibly, so there’s no attempt to be covert in any way.
The idea is that everyone is aware that the camera is there and is being used for a specific incident.
Where the teacher feels there’s a threat to themselves or to another student, then there will be evidence of that incident.
Mr Ellis added that the scheme is not focused entirely on controlling bad behaviour.
The TES surveyed 600 teachers about body cameras recently, with more than a third saying they would “willingly” wear them. The main reason they gave was to gather evidence of student behaviour.
Additional reporting from BBC Newsbeat can be accessed here.