Are school lockers a good idea for students?
Believe it or not there is a debate on whether school lockers are beneficial for pupils. In our latest blog we have examined the pros and cons of school lockers, looking at how they contribute to student wellbeing and how they may be a concern for the school budget.
PROS FOR SCHOOL LOCKERS
Save Their Backs
Physically a locker is much better for students who, five days a week, carry around extremely heavy back packs as well as P.E kits, art folders and musical instruments. It has been found that student’s back packs on average exceed 10% of their body weight. It has also been recently reported that on average the weight of a school bag is around 6-7 kg. If school lockers were provided for students it would minimise the amount of stress put onto students backs, helping to prevent the rise of back pain reported by youngsters today.
Security for Belongings
Students can’t be with their school bags and belongings all times during a day. There is always going to be the possibility of students leaving school bags on the side as they play sports or games at break times.On these occasions what is there to prevent the theft of the valuable items that youngsters carry around with them today such as mobile phones, music devices and money. A locker would provide a secure place to keep personal belongings, taking the worry of theft away from students and parents.
CONS FOR SCHOOL LOCKERS
Effect on School Budget
Lockers can be quite expensive to buy and install, and could be quite a drain on a schools budget. But we believe the benefits to students would outweigh the costs. If you need to stick to a budget then this is possible. Take a look at Budget and Economy lockers which give you the security and strength required at an economical price.
Theft and Security Concerns
Some concerns have been raised with theft from lockers and students storing prohibited items. Many lockers have security shelves in-between each compartment, which prevents access to other compartments. Lockers are also available with many types of locks to suit all security needs. With regards to students storing prohibited items some schools have installed vision door lockers, which have a ‘window’ allowing the contents of the locker to be seen and examined without access being granted.
What do you think about this debate? Do you think that school lockers are a good thing and should be the norm across our schools, or do you disagree? Let us know your opinion.