Schools
Control the arrival.
Review reception, staff access, perimeter entry and the boundary between public and school areas. Permissions and schedules should reflect the school day, visitors and authorised use outside normal hours.
Schools / Colleges / University estates
Education access control.More room to thrive.
Help people feel welcome while protecting the spaces they depend on. Digilec works with schools, colleges and universities to coordinate secure entry, practical administration and safe escape.
Welcoming receptionControlled specialist areasSecurity & escape coordinated
Since 2011Security and access control experience.
1,000+ doorsAccess-controlled doors installed.
Across EnglandCommercial projects and existing sites.
Designed around you / Delivered by Digilec
A place to learn. A system you can rely on.
From reception to specialist rooms, we help your estates team manage who can go where—while keeping the agreed escape requirements central to the door design.
Different sites / Different requirements
Plan access around
the people and places.
Colleges
Support a varied timetable.
Consider teaching rooms, workshops, specialist spaces and shared facilities. Access groups can reflect staff responsibilities and approved student access, with arrangements for contractors and evening activities.
Universities
Coordinate a wider estate.
Plan access across buildings, departments and shared spaces, including libraries, laboratories and staff areas. We review administration, credentials and the equipment at each site before recommending an approach.
Review before replacement
Understand what
your doors actually do.
An existing system may need better configuration, repairs or changes to selected doors rather than a complete replacement. We review the readers, controllers, software, locks, power and actual door operation.
The review establishes how normal entry and exit work, and how the agreed emergency arrangements interact with the equipment. Your team can then decide on a clear scope of improvements.
- Public entrances and visitor reception.
- Staff-only areas and specialist rooms.
- Out-of-hours lettings and shared facilities.
- Door closing, latching and monitoring.
- Required behaviour during incidents and power loss.
Beyond the main entrance
Protect the spaces
that make learning possible.
Teaching rooms, laboratories, stores and staff areas each have a different role. We assess the actual door and its users before recommending the access arrangement.
- Permissions suited to staff and authorised students.
- Specialist rooms and equipment areas considered.
- Exit behaviour coordinated with the agreed escape strategy.
Security & escape
Coordinate the door.
Coordinate the response.
Restricting entry and allowing people to escape are separate functions that need to work together. Mechanical exit hardware and electrically released locks behave differently; the design must reflect the requirements established for each door.
Where lockdown functions are required, we review their interaction with normal exit, emergency release and fire-alarm interfaces. A software setting alone does not establish the complete door response.
Read our insight on school access, lockdown and escape ↗Hardware for the agreed arrangement.
Depending on the door and specified requirement, options may include appropriate EN 179 emergency-exit hardware, EN 1125 panic hardware or a complete EN 13637 electrically controlled exit system.
Our engineers are trained and certified by ABLOY to supply and install its Escape Door Systems. We can also assess suitable electromechanical locks and other locking arrangements against the project brief.
The client and their appointed fire-safety professionals establish the escape strategy and fire risk assessment. Digilec coordinates the access control and locking solution with those requirements; we do not determine the building’s escape strategy.
Platform choice
The system your
team can manage.
We supply, install and support access control from Paxton, Salto, DoorFlow, Avigilon Alta and other manufacturers. The choice depends on the site, current equipment, administration model and required integrations.
We help define who may issue credentials, change permissions and review events, with an appropriate handover for the nominated administrators.
Explore Paxton installation and support ↗Connect access and CCTV where useful.
Supported integrations can help authorised teams review video alongside access events. We assess compatibility, camera coverage and permissions as part of the wider design.
Access records and video use should follow the institution’s own data-protection policies and authorised working practices.
Explore CCTV design and installation ↗
Support your estates team
Less administration.
A clearer view of access.
The right platform can make routine access changes easier to manage. We consider your existing equipment, credentials and responsibilities before proposing a system or an upgrade.
- A defined scope for repairs or improvements.
- Handover for nominated administrators.
- Ongoing maintenance and fault support.
Delivery & ongoing care
Work around the site.
Keep support in place.
We agree access to the work areas and plan installation with your estates or project team. Where appropriate, work can be scheduled around closures, term dates or phased refurbishment, subject to the agreed programme.
Testing covers the specified permissions, schedules, door operation and required interfaces. Handover explains routine administration and the agreed support arrangements.
Planned maintenance can include power supplies, standby batteries where fitted, readers, locks and agreed release-function tests. We can also investigate faults on existing systems without a maintenance contract.
Explore maintenance and fault support ↗Support for your consultants and design team ↗
Planning your project
Your questions.
Clear next steps.
Can you assess our existing school or college access control?
Yes. We review the equipment, physical doors, operating requirements and available system access. We can identify a scope for repairs, configuration changes, additions or replacement.
Can an access control system support lockdown?
Suitable systems can restrict entry to selected doors or areas. The locking, exit hardware, emergency-release arrangements and required fire interfaces must be coordinated with the site’s agreed procedures and escape strategy.
Do all school doors need the same lock or exit device?
No. The required arrangement depends on the door, its use and the requirements established for the building. We help select appropriate equipment once those requirements are confirmed.
Can you work with our M&E contractor or estates team?
Yes. We support direct client projects and contractor-led works, coordinating the scope, programme, equipment and installation responsibilities with the people delivering the project.
Digilec / Let’s plan the next step
Start with a review
of your site.
Tell us what is installed, which doors or buildings are involved and what you want to improve. We’ll help identify a practical next step for your education site.