MANAGEMENT {ESTATE MANAGEMENT}
Why good estate management needs to be pushed up the agenda JONNY COATES, director of business and finance, Tanfield School, explains why more importance needs to be placed on good estate management 30
November 2021
T
he role of school business professionals varies from school to school, or MAT to MAT, and this can also very much depend on the setting/ phase. I’ve worked in both primary and secondary, maintained and academies; each role was different, but all had the same challenges - the estate was poorly funded, overlooked and very difficult to manage. From experience, understanding the importance of estate management
has always been the most difficult to get across to stakeholders. Whilst bringing in another classroom teacher is a given if it’s deemed fundamental to improving results, the same cannot always be said about spending similar amounts on a school building in dire need. My view is quite radical in that the condition of the estate is fundamental to ensuring that students in our schools have access to the best learning environment and are in a position to succeed.
