College campus safety starts long before an incident occurs

When people think about campus safety, they often think about security guards, CCTV cameras or access controls.

Those measures have an important role to play. But in my experience, the most effective way to keep young people safe is not responding to incidents when they occur – it is preventing them from happening in the first place.

That is why the conversation about safety in further education needs to move beyond physical security alone.

Today’s colleges are supporting young people through a far more complex landscape than existed even a decade ago.

According to figures, around 20 per cent of young people have a probable mental health disorder, with 65 per cent feeling unsafe online. The UK’s annual crime survey shows that young people aged 16 to 24 are consistently among the age groups most likely to be victims of violence, while national safeguarding data continues to show concerns around criminal exploitation and county lines activity.

Many of these issues do not begin when a student arrives at college, but they often become visible there.

As a result, safeguarding and security have become inseparable.

FE colleges have always been places of opportunity, environments where young people develop skills, confidence and independence as they prepare for adulthood. But over the past decade, the role colleges play within their communities has evolved significantly.

Today, colleges are not simply education providers. They are large, open, public-facing institutions supporting thousands of young people from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances, often with increasingly complex needs. As that landscape changes, so too does our responsibility to safeguard and support the students in our care.

At West Herts College Group, we see first-hand how the challenges affecting young people have become broader and more interconnected. We must think differently about safety and wellbeing from the way we may have done in the past.

Effective safeguarding cannot be limited to responding when concerns reach a crisis point. The most effective approach is one that identifies issues early, provides appropriate support and builds resilience before problems escalate into more serious safeguarding or security concerns.

The rollout of mental health support teams in schools has been a welcome step forward, but while 79 per cent of secondary school pupils are in settings now covered by a mental health support team, only 42 per cent of 16 to 18 year olds are. We would always welcome greater access to specialist mental health support across the FE sector.

It is important to recognise that schools are intervening further upstream, helping children develop resilience and coping strategies from an earlier age. Ultimately, effective safeguarding is a shared endeavour across the entire education system.

Keeping young people safe today requires a much more holistic approach, one built around prevention, partnership working, staff training, student education and early intervention. This means maintaining strong relationships with police, local authorities, safeguarding agencies, youth services and community organisations so that concerns can be identified and addressed before they escalate.

In many cases, the most effective intervention is not a physical security measure at all. It is a timely conversation, an appropriate referral, information shared between partner organisations or support put in place before a situation reaches crisis point.

Recent national discussions around Martyn’s Law have helped highlight the importance of robust emergency planning and security awareness across publicly accessible spaces. In many ways, however, the direction of travel reflected in the legislation aligns with work already taking place across the education sector. Colleges have long understood that creating safe environments requires ongoing review, investment and adaptation.

Young people thrive in environments built on trust, belonging and support. While colleges must be realistic about the challenges facing society today, we must also avoid creating cultures driven by fear or alarmism. Safety should provide reassurance, not anxiety.

The safest campuses are not those with the most visible security measures. They are the ones where students feel supported, connected and able to access help before problems escalate.

A huge amount of work in this area happens quietly behind the scenes, often without public visibility. Yet it has become one of the most important responsibilities colleges carry.