A Catholic primary school in Hove is set to receive new protective fencing after an incident where someone unlawfully entered the premises, alongside worries about faith-based hostility.
Brighton and Hove City Council gave the green light on July 28 to proposals for updated and new security barriers at Cottesmore St Mary’s Catholic Primary School located on The Upper Drive.
The institution, situated directly across from Cardinal Newman Catholic School, will implement a series of protective measures along its boundary with The Upper Drive.
The sanctioned work encompasses a new gate for the playing field, refreshed access points and barriers, enhancements to the playground wall’s security, contemporary main entry gates, and boundary railings at the entrance.
Planning documents indicate the schemes aim to enhance safeguarding, security, and operational safety for students, employees, and guests.
The submission stated the measures address identified gaps in the current site perimeter arrangements and seek to establish a comprehensive and effective security approach suitable for a primary school setting.
According to the submission, special attention has been paid to protecting younger children in play zones, alongside broader considerations about school security and susceptibility to unauthorised entry and religiously motivated incidents.
The submission also noted that a prior incident involving an intruder accessing the school grounds had already occurred, leading to police involvement and criminal proceedings. This amplified concerns about site exposure and the necessity for better perimeter defences.
Sources indicate the incident occurred approximately a decade past.
The submission referenced the school’s closeness to Cardinal Newman Catholic School, a secondary institution situated opposite Cottesmore St Mary’s.
It noted that Cardinal Newman had in recent years substantially upgraded its own boundary security provisions due to concerns about religious hate crime and safeguarding threats targeting Catholic educational institutions.
According to the submission, as a result, Cottesmore St Mary’s appears relatively more exposed given the current shortcomings in its boundary treatment, as a more accessible and less protected establishment should entry to Cardinal Newman prove unavailable.
The submission indicated that pupil safeguarding is the principal objective of the planned development.
It noted the current boundaries display numerous weaknesses including gates lacking proper security, ageing barriers, and structures that can be scaled.
According to the submission, the planned work would dramatically enhance perimeter security, deter unlawful entry, and offer improved protection for vulnerable student groups.
The submission noted that at present, once the Early Years playground wall has been compromised, nothing would prevent access to the school building itself at this end, placing all children in danger.