The Department for Education (DfE) has introduced new School Estate Management Standards, providing a clear framework for effective estate management across England's schools and academies. These standards outline four levels of estate management: Baseline, Transitioning, Fully Effective, and Advanced. Schools are expected to operate at least at the Baseline level and work towards achieving Fully Effective management.
The standards emphasise health, safety, and statutory duties, including asbestos management, fire safety, and legionella control. They also highlight the importance of strategic planning, risk management, and compliance documentation. While the standards aim to professionalise school estate roles, there are concerns about the feasibility of some requirements, particularly for smaller schools with limited resources.
The inclusion of Building Information Modelling (BIM) at Level 3 is seen as ambitious, given its technical and financial demands. Additionally, the standards encourage cross-functional collaboration between estates, IT and business continuity functions to address cyber risks.
Overall, the new standards mark a significant step forward in ensuring consistent and effective management of school estates. However, balancing ambition with practicality remains crucial for successful implementation. Barker welcomes this guidance and offers tools and templates to support schools in navigating these new requirements.
Use our FREE Estates360 assessment tool to see how you measure up against the DfE estates standards. It’s quick and gives you a report instantly.
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