Schools placing cameras in toilets and changing rooms Big Brother Watch finds

There are more than 100,000 CCTV cameras being used in secondary schools and academies across the UK.

According to data from 2,107 schools obtained under the Freedom of Information act by Big Brother Watch, 207 schools had actually placed cameras in toilets or changing rooms.

Director of Big Brother Watch, Nick Pickles said: “This research raises serious questions about the privacy of schoolchildren across Britain, with some schools having one camera for every five pupils and hundreds of schools using cameras in toilets and changing rooms.

“The full extent of school surveillance is far higher than we had expected and will come as a shock to many parents. Schools need to come clean about why they are using these cameras and what is happening to the footage. Local authorities also need to be doing far more to reign in excessive surveillance in their areas and ensuring resources are not being diverted from more effective alternatives.”