Bourne Grammar’s Lockdown & Tannoy Upgrade

17^th November 2025

A large grammar school enhances its site-wide communication and lockdown readiness ahead of Martyn’s Law.

About the School

Bourne Grammar School is a well-established secondary grammar with nearly 1,800 students. The site spans several decades of development, from buildings dating back to the 1950s to modern extensions completed within the last two years. This blend of new and historic infrastructure presented unique challenges when it came to communication, safety, and compliance.

With the upcoming introduction of Martyn’s Law, the school’s leadership wanted to take proactive steps to strengthen safety and communication measures across the site.

What We Delivered

Security & Electrical

The Challenge

Before the upgrade, Bourne Grammar was operating with a basic, outdated bell system that offered minimal functionality. It was limited to a single tone with no ability to send targeted or verbal messages.

In the event of an emergency, staff had to rely on manual bell ringing sequences to indicate different alerts—an unreliable and confusing method that made coordination difficult. The lack of flexibility also meant that simple daily communication, such as announcements or reminders, was unnecessarily complicated.

As the site continued to expand and modernise, it became clear that the existing infrastructure could no longer meet the school’s safety and operational needs.

The Solution

Working closely with Ninehundred Communications Group, Bourne Grammar School implemented a modern, integrated lockdown and tannoy system designed to deliver clear, site-wide communication at the touch of a button.

The new system enables staff to:

Send specific tones or spoken messages to individual zones or the entire site
Use a mobile microphone from any networked computer for live announcements
Schedule bells and alerts for daily operations or emergency scenarios
Tailor messages for both lockdown procedures and everyday use, such as Sixth Form Open Evenings or site announcements

The upgrade also included large, easy-to-read clocks positioned throughout key areas of the school. These have proven invaluable since students’ mobile phone use was restricted, helping them stay punctual and organised without disruption.

The Result

The transformation has significantly improved communication, safety, and preparedness across the site. Staff can now respond confidently and consistently in any situation, with customisable alerts and real-time messaging for faster, clearer coordination.

“It’s 100% better. With the old system, you never quite knew what was happening. Now, everything’s clear and specific — there’s no confusion. It’s given us the ability to be fully prepared.”
— David, Site Manager, Bourne Grammar School

The installation process was smooth and efficient despite the school’s tight project windows.

“Communication was excellent. Any wiring issues were dealt with quickly, and everything was completed within our tight holiday schedule — really impressive.”
— David, Site Manager, Bourne Grammar School

Explore The Range

Take a look at What Our Customers Say

If there is one thing that makes me keep coming back to Ninehundred Communications Group is Ursula Russell when looking at what our site need regarding criteria Ursula always points me in the right direction not only doe’s Ursula give me the best advice for radios we also have a good chat and laugh and I think that is what is missing now days with companies.
Just going that extra mile and chat to the person ask them how they are etc that is what makes a sale nothing to do with price or items it’s about the customer service we get I have had to mention Ursula as I believe she does a fantastic job for you but also for me.

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Veolia ES Merseyside

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Cassie Sternbach,
Brentford FC Ltd

I wanted to take a moment to sincerely thanks to KIM STARR for excellent support during the two-way radio hire for our recent project. From start to finish, your coordination and attention to detail were truly outstanding, exceeding our expectations at every step.

Your efficiency in arranging everything seamlessly made a significant difference in ensuring smooth operations. Your professionalism, responsiveness, and dedication were greatly appreciated, and it was a pleasure working with you.

Thank you again for your exceptional support, I look forward to working with you on future projects.

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Communication with Ninehundred has been absolutely brilliant. They answer emails really quickly, we’ve discussed prices, so we’ve been able to negotiate a bit and time wise delivery of the goods and installation has been fast.

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