Growing demand for risk guidance from education clients presents opportunity for brokers

New research from specialist insurer Ecclesiastical has revealed that more than half of schools believe they would benefit from more crime and security risk guidance from their insurer or insurance broker.

This 11% year-on-year increase presents an opportunity for insurance brokers to better engage with their education clients, according to the insurer.

Schools are a prime target for offenders as four in five have been subject to some form of crime over the 12 months prior to the research, up 15% on the previous year’s report.

On average, crime over the most recent period cost each school over £26,000, which was double the figure from the previous year.

Ecclesiastical’s survey of 500 UK-based teachers found that over a third of schools had suffered anti-social behaviour, up 7% on the previous year.

Three in 10 schools were also defaced by graffiti – an 8% rise – while 28% were subject to trespassing – a 4% increase year-on-year.

Faith Kitchen, customer segment director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “As one of the leading insurers of schools in the UK, Ecclesiastical is passionate about supporting the education sector.

“Our research shows schools are a prime target for criminals and it’s concerning to see four in five have suffered a crime during the past year.”

Safety

The survey was commissioned by Ecclesiastical and conducted by OnePoll between 29 July – 11 August 2022, in which time 500 UK-based teachers were surveyed.

The research found that the majority (88%) of schools had taken proactive steps to prevent crime across the last year, with investments in CCTV, alarms and security lighting increasing.

However, schools reported that they were assessing crime and security risks less frequently and half of teachers believed their school needed to do more to prevent crime.

Kitchen added: “Brokers play an important role in helping education clients understand the risks they are facing and in ensuring they have the right cover in place.

“There are a number of measures schools can take to better secure school property and assets, which would ideally be a combination of both physical and electronic protection.

“Fencing around the perimeter can often offer a good first line of defence against unwanted visitors, while CCTV can act as a visual deterrent for those not wanting to be caught on camera.”