Bullies and vandals at an Oxford school have fewer places to hide following the installation of CCTV cameras.

Cameras have been put in each of the eight girls and boys toilets at Cheney School in Headington, with a further 17 installed in corridors and the outside grounds.

The £20,000 security and safety measure was taken by the school following a recommendation by the student council - comprised of two representatives from each year group.

The rotating cameras are monitored by heads of year and recordings are kept for up to a month.

Cameras keep an eye on the entrance to the toilets and the area by the sinks in an attempt to crack down on smoking, arguments, bullying and vandalism.

It is the second school in Oxfordshire to introduce cameras in toilet areas - Peers School, in Littlemore, installed them two years ago.

Cheney deputy headteacher Sylvia Hawken said: "They are used primarily for student and staff safety and for the safety of property during after-school events.

"They are rotating cameras only used on the wash basins and doors, so we don't interfere with human rights. It would be wrong to do that. We do not have people watching them 24 hours a day. This is not Big Brother."

The school council decided to place the CCTV cameras in the toilets after complaints that they were misused by many students.

They are also used to keep an eye out for any problems caused by people taking part in after-school clubs or activities.

School council representative Arvind Sami, 15, said: "There has been a lot of bullying around the school, but having the cameras means you can catch those responsible.

"At first people were nervous and not too happy about it, but the cameras in the toilets do not look into the cubicles and I think people are generally happy about them now."

Since the cameras were installed in May, they have provided the evidence to catch four pupils carrying out acts of bullying.

Mrs Hawken added: "You can confidently say to parents that their children are as safe as we can possibly make it.

"The cameras are not infringing on human rights or privacy rules. It is the result of what the children themselves had asked for.

"I think they are working. There has definitely been an improvement in these areas."

Cheney School has a robust security system with security cards for all staff.

Oxfordshire County Council's spokesman for children, young people and families John Mitchell said: "Schools may decide to introduce CCTV as one of a package of security measures to reduce incidents of crime, vandalism and bullying. Wherever CCTV is installed, care is always taken not to compromise the privacy of pupils, staff and visitors."

Jill Judson, headteacher of the Cherwell School in Oxford, said external CCTV cameras installed at her school had helped to catch vandals.

She added: "We hope to extend our camera system as a security measure and put them in key places in the school. We have a very open site here, so the cameras are very useful.

"The children here are pretty used to cameras around in shopping centres and other places so they don't bother them."