SECURITY guards have been drafted in to supervise pupils at a Bolton secondary school during lunch breaks.

The five uniformed guards are patrolling the school grounds at Hayward School, Great Lever, in the first scheme of its kind in Bolton.

Their job is to ensure there are no problems in the playground at lunchtime and to stop children in the 1,200-pupil school from leaving the premises or entering out-of-bounds areas of the school complex.

One guard is also permanently on hand to administer first aid.

Today, headteacher Tim Oakes said that the guards had been brought in after he was unable to recruit adult dinner staff to supervise the children.

He said the guards were also part of a policy to relieve teachers of duties that can be undertaken by support staff allowing them to devote more time to teaching.

But Mr Oakes stressed that the guards from firm Moorfords Security had not been recruited to bring the school under control.

He said: "They are being employed to help in terms of general supervision, not to keep the school under control. It's about making sure there are more adults around at lunch times.

"Having said that, this is a large secondary school and youngsters will play and be normal teenagers."

He added that because the school consisted of several blocks, it made it more difficult to monitor the children at lunchtimes.

Mr Oakes said the security guards also patrolled the school buildings during the night.

"The pupils don't think of them as security guards but as other members of staff," he said.

Mr Oakes said he believed he had difficulty in finding people willing to work as lunchtime supervisors because the job only required a few hours' work each week. The role had been previously carried out by teachers. Matthew Brown is one of the lunchtime security officers. He has previously worked as a security guard at Lever Chambers.

He said: "Our work involves stopping pupils from getting out, keeping order and keeping them out of the blocks." Carol Randle also works as a lunchtime security guard and administers first aid to pupils. She has previously done security on building sites. She said: "I enjoy working here and I've learned a lot. It is a challenge sometimes, some kids get stroppy, some don't. You have to take it as it goes."

Not all residents and business owners had noticed the guards had had any effect outside the school at lunchtimes.

Barry Maher, owner of J. Maher, a discount electrical and garden supplies store in Lever Edge Lane, said: "If you come here around 1.30pm there are crowds of pupils in Hayward uniform."

But Tom Allen, a retired bakery worker, who also lives in Lever Edge Lane added: "I've noticed that there seem to be fewer Hayward pupils walking about on the streets at lunchtimes. A lot used to go to the chip shop but I've not seen that happening as much."