Forest View High School in Tokoroa spans a large green campus, catering to more than 425 students. Built to the Ministry of Education’s design standards of the day, it comprises separate classroom blocks, a gymnasium, an auditorium and an administration wing, as well as extensive sports fields and courts.
Despite the best management, the time and cost of running a site with registered mechanical keys was too high, and compromised property safety too.
Retrofitting a battery-powered system
"Running the old traditional key system was manual and time-consuming," recalls school principal Jocelyn Hale. "There was one key for each block and others for different storage rooms according to access restrictions."
But with so many doors spread over the campus, replacing all the manual keys with a wired-in digital system was not practical.
Choosing the eCLIQ electronic keying system by ASSA ABLOY, which features battery-powered electronic keys, meant the upfront costs of installation was substantially less than hard-wired locks. Installed by local locksmiths, eCLIQ was retrofitted to 50 years’ worth of various lock types, bringing the school’s access system into the 21st century.
Complete access control
Combining the traditional elements of lock and key with powerful electronic access and monitoring technology gives the school total control over who can enter any specific building or room, and at any given time.
The system vastly improves the security of the school," says Craig Snowball of installers Peak2Sea Locksmiths. "The person responsible for issuing keys programmes which keys open which doors, so there is complete control over access. You can set time parameters on individual doors, like allowing them to open only during school hours. And you can set daily access for contractors to ensure they have access on a particular day or days.
For Forest View High School, the safety and security benefits of the eCLIQ system are obvious.
"We want staff to feel safe even when the school is quiet. They know spaces have redistricted access and they can easily open and lock spaces behind them for peace of mind."
- Jocelyn Hale, Principal
