Charles Darwin Primary School, located in an old Australian Taxation Office building on Rose Lane, was recently given permission for a two-metre school security fence. This decision was taken after increasing complaints regarding anti-social behaviour in the vicinity. Since it opened as a primary and nursery school in 2016, the institution has faced a host of hurdles. Most notably, disruptions caused by party-goers traveling to the adjacent city nightlife district, known for its bars and nightclubs lining Prince of Wales Road, have posed a major nuisance.
The need to build the fence was based on an immediate/actual need for student and staff safety. The Rose Lane area had become one of the worst in Norwich for anti-social behaviour, leading school leaders to act. The previous design called for an intimidating 8-foot high wall. We did reduce the height to meet the appropriate historic conservation guidelines and make an even greater place-based aesthetic benefit to the community.
Council officers signed off on the changed plan. They took on board the feedback given by Penny Curtis, the Designing Out Crime Officer, who had provided an update on the persistent anti-social behaviour affecting the school.
“The school experiences significant anti-social behaviour to areas of the property,” – Jamie Curtis, representative of Charles Darwin Primary School.
These new security changes are focused on limiting access to outside of the school’s perimeter during after-school or evening hours. This new initiative is central to a broader protecting policy agenda. Its primary purpose is to help school districts keep students safe and create a positive learning environment.
The construction of the fence highlights the ongoing challenges faced by educational institutions situated in urban spaces, especially those adjacent to nightlife hotspots. When these schools are forced to become a safe haven of learning during violent storms, measures such as security fences are needed.
“It will restrict access to external areas of the school out-of-hours and aid the school’s safeguarding policy.”
The construction of the fence highlights the ongoing challenges faced by educational institutions situated in urban spaces, especially those adjacent to nightlife hotspots. As these schools strive to provide a safe learning environment, measures like security fences become essential.
