Leighland Christian School

Until recently, Leighland was using a legacy master key system to control access across its two campuses. With an eye to the future, the school decided it needed a more accountable and flexible access control system, covering all doors and entrances at its Ulverstone campus.

With their security supplier SECURATECH, the school specified SALTO access control for enhancing the risk management of the school sites. Using battery-operated stand-alone electronic locks, SALTO’s SVN data-on-card system dispenses with the need for conventional keys. Instead, programmable RFID contactless credentials (such as cards and fobs) allow or restrict access to different parts of the school.

“I’ve seen a number of locking solutions over the years, but they didn’t have the flexibility I was looking for - nor the centralized control. SALTO was fit-for-purpose and surprisingly cost-effective. The wireless technology gives you the ability to retrofit hardware to doors and can also accommodate any extra doors as our requirements grow,” said David Grey, Business Manager for Leighland Christian School.

SALTO XS4 online and offline electronic locks, GEO cylinder locks, XS4 Locker locks, and control units have now been installed, controlling 190 doors around the school in administration areas, offices, classrooms, common areas and store rooms. Access points were also added to four automatic doors, an external gate and the building lift. The school employs SALTO SVN-Flex, a feature that enables SALTO locks and cylinders to directly update cards at the door; reducing the cost and operational inconvenience of installing and using dedicated update points.

Schools need long-term suppliers they can trust, and Leighland is no exception. Kaleb Lehman, Director of SECURATECH, has provided many years of reliable service to Leighland and loves working with SALTO and distributor LSC.

“SALTO is an excellent choice for schools with the long term vision to better manage their environment. With the support of David Grey and fantastic input from Karl Slater at LSC - their technical support is outstanding - we worked hard to ensure the project was well planned and met the school’s requirements,” said Kaleb.

The biggest challenge for the installation was managing the transition from traditional to electronic keys during the initial roll out, when both systems were in use. SECURATECH planned this carefully by pre-loading all staff and access points into SALTO’s ProAccess Space software, as well as issuing out credentials in advance before any hardware was installed. “We introduced the badge-in/badge-out roll call readers to the entry of the school to provide updates to every door while the hardware was going in. This allowed us to add doors as they were needed without disrupting users,” said Kaleb.

Leighland’s second campus in Burnie should be completed by the end of the year, enabling staff to use a single access credential across both campuses.

Smart locks provide a much more flexible solution than traditional keys. Staff were frustrated by the time it took to obtain keys to areas of work, and the security of the premises was compromised every time a key was lost or borrowed. These issues have been greatly diminished with the introduction of SALTO.

“If someone is doing a relief lesson in an area they don’t normally work in, it’s a very simple change at the front desk. They don’t have to walk 150m to the office to get another key – we can reprogram over the phone and it’s done.” said David. “If an access fob is lost, it can be instantly deleted from the system without the need for rekeying or changing locks; saving time and money.”

In the event of an emergency or lockdown situation, the well-being of staff, children, and visitors is paramount. Leighland Christian School was committed to improving the management of these risks, so another powerful feature for the school was the ability to lockdown immediately from a central control point. The lockdown can be activated through ProAccess Space software or via a physical emergency lockdown button located in the admin area. Leighland also plans to put in place an emergency evacuation button to allow free movement through the building when needed.

Safety and wellbeing is an emotive topic for everyone in education, and the introduction of SALTO has shifted attitudes towards security in the school.

Said David Grey, “SALTO creates a culture of trust. We want to be a modern school that has confidence in its community and provides everyone with the access they need. Above all, we want parents to come into the school and see we provide a safe environment for their children. With SALTO, secure, flexible and reliable access control is a systemized outcome – it’s the way we do business now.”