Chigwell School
Key Metrics
98% faster investigations — locating pupils now takes minutes instead of hours.
1 person, 1 day to complete a campus-wide traffic survey (would have taken 4–5 people over 2–3 days previously).
Improved parent communication and confidence through clear, shareable video context.
Evidence sharing that supports General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance via Live and Selective Face Blur.
100-acre campus unified under one cloud platform with cameras, access control, intercom, and air quality sensors.
A School Balancing Heritage and Innovation
Founded in 1629, Chigwell School has a proud tradition of preparing pupils to “aut viam inveniam aut faciam” (find a way or make a way) in the world — and the world has changed dramatically since its founding. Today, as it approaches its 400th anniversary in 2029, Chigwell continues to balance its deep heritage with a modern vision for innovation and pupil wellbeing.
The independent, co-educational school serves 1,150 pupils aged 4–18, including a small group of international boarders. Its leafy 100-acre campus just outside London includes new facilities such as a public sports centre, swimming pool, and gym — amenities that have expanded the school’s footprint and the complexity of its security needs.
“Security in terms of the safeguarding of the pupils in our care is the most important thing we do,” says James Rea, Bursar. “We have a duty to make sure our pupils are safe while on campus.”
Partnering with Net-Ctrl and Verkada
When Chigwell began evaluating options to modernise its legacy CCTV and access systems, it turned to Net-Ctrl, a long-time technology partner that had supported several of the school’s major infrastructure projects.
“Net-Ctrl have been very responsive and commercially minded,” says Rea. “Without them, I’m not sure we would have found Verkada.”
With Verkada, the school gained an integrated, cloud-based platform combining cameras, access control, intercom, and air quality sensors — all managed through a single pane of glass. No NVRs or servers are required, and software and firmware updates are delivered automatically.
Investigations in Minutes, Not Hours
Before Verkada, footage retrieval could take hours. Security relied on manual review from a single workstation, slowing response times when pupils went missing or incidents arose.
“We used to rely on our Head of Security being at his desk to trawl old CCTV,” Rea explains. “Now a handful of us can do it from a laptop in real time.”
With Verkada’s AI-powered and Reverse Image Search, staff can locate a pupil or visitor in seconds by uploading a photo or filtering by details like clothing colour. History Player Search then compiles a timeline of their movements across multiple cameras, turning what once took hours into a task completed in minutes.
“From the first week, investigations moved from a single desk to any authorised laptop,” says Rea. “It turned hours into minutes.”
Recently, that capability proved invaluable in locating a pupil and bringing quick reassurance to parents.
“A pupil wasn’t feeling well and went to the wellbeing centre,” Rea recalls. “They called their parents to collect them, which was outside our usual process. When the parent arrived, the pupil wasn’t where they said they would be — understandably, the parents were very worried. We used Verkada to trace the pupil and found they’d gone back to class. Within minutes, everyone knew they were safe.”
Protecting Privacy, Simplifying Sharing
As a UK institution, GDPR compliance is critical. Verkada’s Live Face Blur and Selective Face Blur features allow Chigwell to share video evidence while protecting the privacy of uninvolved individuals.
This capability has also proven valuable for other initiatives. When the school conducted a traffic survey across its vast campus, Verkada’s video sharing and privacy tools dramatically simplified the process.
“In the past, similar surveys have taken four or five people two or three days on site,” says Rea. “Instead, one person came for a single day, and we shared all the necessary footage digitally with faces blurred for privacy. It made his job — and mine — so much easier.”
Managing Entryways and Restricted Access
At the school’s main entrance, Verkada Intercom and Access Control work together to manage visitors and maintain secure boundaries.
“The Verkada Intercom has been really useful,” Rea says. “It allows our receptionist to visually verify who’s arriving and grant access appropriately.”
Elsewhere, doors to specialised areas such as science labs and preparation rooms are access-controlled to restrict unsupervised entry outside of lesson times. The system gives the operations team flexibility to remotely manage door schedules and permissions — and even unlock doors while on-the-go.
Promoting Wellbeing Beyond Physical Safety
Safeguarding at Chigwell goes far beyond physical protection — it’s a holistic commitment to wellbeing. Through counselling services, mental health training, and spaces like the school’s Quiet Garden and new wellbeing centre, pupils are supported emotionally as well as academically.
Within this wellbeing centre, Chigwell has introduced Verkada Air Quality Sensors to complement its proactive approach to care. The sensors monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality, helping staff create comfortable, healthy environments where pupils and staff can thrive.
“Air quality sensors are something we’re looking to expand further,” Rea says. “We’d like to use them more broadly across the school to proactively maintain healthy, comfortable spaces for pupils and staff.”
By aligning with Chigwell’s wider safeguarding ethos, Verkada’s technology supports the school’s mission to protect and nurture the whole child — ensuring pupils feel safe, cared for, and able to focus on learning.
Building Trust and Strengthening Relationships
One of the most valued outcomes has been the ability to provide clarity and reassurance to parents through clear, objective video evidence.
“The ability to quickly review and share video has been invaluable,” Rea says. “It helps us provide context and reassurance — a video really is worth a thousand words.”
By securely sharing footage — with faces blurred to protect privacy — staff can offer transparency while upholding data protection standards. This capability has strengthened confidence, improved communication, and reinforced trust across the school community.
Continuous Innovation
Unlike their previous system, which could go years without improvements, Chigwell’s Verkada deployment gets smarter over time. Built on a hybrid cloud architecture, the platform continually evolves through automatic software and firmware updates, delivering new features and security enhancements without any manual IT intervention.
“We didn’t really get updates before,” says Rea. “With Verkada, new features just appear — smoothly and without disruption. We’re keen to explore more.”
For Chigwell, this means technology that continues to advance — from new AI-powered activity detection alerts, such as fence climbing and slip-and-falls, to enhanced privacy controls and user interface refinements.
By removing the need for manual maintenance, Verkada helps the school’s team stay focused on what matters most: supporting teaching, learning, and pupil safety.
“It’s reassuring knowing the system keeps itself up to date,” Rea adds. “We’re not just maintaining what we have — it’s continually getting better.”
Results at a Glance
Investigations in minutes, not hours, with AI-powered and History Player Search.
Operational efficiency: one-person, one-day traffic survey replaced a multi-person, multi-day process.
Evidence sharing that supports GDPR compliance via Live and Selective Face Blur.
Improved parent communication and confidence through clear, shareable video context.
Continuous innovation through automatic software updates — no on-site servers required.
Looking Ahead
As Chigwell prepares for its quadricentennial, Verkada plays a key role in helping the school uphold its centuries-old commitment to safety, transparency, and trust — while embracing the technology that defines modern education.
“The time and effort it’s saved us — and the reassurance of knowing our pupils are safe — is invaluable,” says Rea. “I’d recommend Verkada to any school looking to strengthen how they protect people and places.”
