A private security firm has taken over caretaker duties in four city secondary schools.

G4S, formerly known as Group 4 Securicor, is being paid to carry out jobs such as maintaining the building, looking after the grounds, ensuring safety and keeping schools secure.

School staff who notice a problem, such as damage in a classroom, now log the issue with a call centre.

It signals the end of the traditional school caretaker, who for decades was an important figure answerable to the head teacher and employed locally.

Now, premises managers are employed by G4S, a multi-national company with 500,000 employees around the world.

When schools are locked for the night, generally at 10pm, the premises are monitored by security staff watching CCTV in Manchester.

So far four city secondary schools come under the G4S “facilities management” scheme, part of the deal negotiated by Leicester City Council under the terms of its £314m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) contract – but all are expected to within the next few years.

Stephen Trebble, general manager of the Leicester Miller Education Company, which builds and maintains the BSF schools, said the changes were positive.

He said: “The schools now call a free phone number to log a problem and can track the response. We think it’s better because if, for example, a light bulb has blown, teachers can report it and get on with teaching.

“There will still be the opportunity, such as if a pupil has been sick or something has been spilt, when the clean-up work can be carried out urgently.

“But it will still be logged with the helpdesk just to make sure it has been dealt with,” said Mr Trebble.

General wear and tear is repaired by G4S as part of the contract, but “malicious damage”, such as a smashed window, has to be paid for by the school.

G4S has similar contracts in 28 schools in London and three in Wiltshire.

CCTV

Although G4S workers look after the security of the site, pupil behaviour is still the responsibility of teaching staff.

Debbie Sharpe, project manager of G4S in Leicester’s schools, said there was a mix of new employees and original premises staff who had transferred to the private firm

She said: “Some of these staff have worked at these schools for many years and we’ve wanted to maintain that relationship. We’ve had no major hiccups so far.”

Individual premises managers are based in each school, such as Mark Millins at Beaumont Leys, and they liaise with the G4S team, whose Leicester office is currently at Meridian Business Park.

They plan to move to Beaumont Leys when the original school is demolished, where they will be able to carry out repairs and monitor CCTV.

One senior member of staff in one of the four schools, who did not want to be named, said: “It takes a bit of getting used to, mainly because it has completely changed the relationship between the principal and the staff working in their school. ‘It remains to be seen how it develops.”

Miller has to return the schools to the city council in 25 years, guaranteeing they will be in the same condition as now.

Fullhurst College, in Braunstone, Soar Valley School, in Rushey Mead, Judgemeadow College, in Evington, and Beaumont Leys School were the first schools to go through the changes.