Facilities Management

Managing your school building and land

At a time when energy costs are spiralling, an efficiently run and maintained school estate is now more important than ever. The DfE’s ‘Good estate management for schools’ guidance shares some best practice

Some studies show that over a 30year period, the operational costs for a building can be five to 10 times as much as the initial capital cost. It therefore pays to make sure a building runs as efficiently as possible, especially during times when energy costs are so high.

The Department for Education’s ‘Good estate management for schools’ (GEMS) guidance allows schools to assess their current arrangements and identify where improvements can be made.

It covers issues ranging from guidance on health and safety management to advice on how to minimise energy and water usage.

It also includes a set of self-assessment questions to help headteachers and governing boards to gauge where they are doing well and which areas require more attention.

There is also information on the important policies and processes that schools should have in place, guidance on how to plan estate projects, and tips on making the most of property assets.

Maintaining the estate

School buildings are an important and valuable long-term asset. They may also be open to the public as community facilities. Facilities managers should therefore plan for and maintain the buildings so they are safe, warm, weatherproof and provide a suitable teaching and learning environment. Increasing pressure on resources can lead to cuts in a school’s maintenance budget. An evidence-based maintenance plan can therefore help a facilities manager understand the impact of any budget reductions. Having clear stewardship and maintenance regimes for all buildings will ensure they remain safe and that the value of the asset is protected. Poor or irregular maintenance of school buildings, however, can result in adverse effects on the provision of education, closure of buildings and invalidation of insurance, to name some. Maintenance of land and buildings is often categorised as either planned preventative maintenance (PPM) or reactive maintenance. You should consider the balance between PPM and reactive maintenance. It is

recognised good practice to allocate PPM and reactive maintenance budgets in the region of a 70:30 ratio (CIPFA).

Information needed for maintenance planning

The estate might include buildings of different ages and construction types. These will all have different requirements and challenges for undertaking maintenance and repairs. Accurate data about the condition of buildings is the starting point for longer-term maintenance planning. If a building is of historic interest or is listed in a conservation area there may be more stringent controls when carrying out maintenance work, which may require permission. Accurate data about the condition of buildings is the starting point for longer-term maintenance planning. A variety of information about the estate will be needed, such as fire safety measures, location of hydrants, location of utility meters and incoming services. A plan of the site with utilities information such as mains drainage, stopcocks, cabling and isolation points, will also be required. An inventory of important components and their life expectancy, such as boilers and pipework will be needed, as will upto-date statutory compliance records. A schedule of maintenance contracts such as annual portable appliance testing (PAT), gas safety, boiler maintenance E

Advertisement Feature Working with flexibility; the future of space management

COVID-19 set off a series of fundamental changes in how we work and function as humans. No longer confined to the ‘workplace’, teams rose to the challenge of business continuity with vigour and strength by embracing a combination of working environments.

The pandemic proved that many work activities could be done remotely, prompting people to reflect on their previous working habits and routines. This empowerment has brought an abrupt change in employee attitudes, as demonstrated in the Cloudbooking 2021, Workplace Census. 55% of UK workers want flexibility in where they work with a mix of office and home working. 71% of 18- to 24-year-olds agree they would be more likely to return to the office environment if they could pre-book safe, socially distanced workspaces

As we shake off the COVID cobwebs, the time has come for organisations to take stock and process the unprecedented period of workplace change that has just occurred. And for many, the question will be, “What do we do next?”. Who will have the courage to continue on this path and deliver true workplace transformation? One thing’s for sure, those who think that reverting to our old ways is an option should think again.

More than half (51%) of UK workers who currently choose to mix remote and office working would consider leaving their organisation if this option was removed, according to new research by Microsoft and YouGov. As workers across education and other sectors were forced to change how they work at the height of the pandemic, the demand for more agile and flexible working is very likely to remain.

By nurturing a workplace that supports this approach, public sector organisations can improve building efficiency, operations, and the employee experience. The question, however, is how organisations can facilitate a smooth and successful shift to this type of workplace?

With teamwork, clear communications and the right supporting technology, the possibilities are endless.

For more information on how you can support hybrid working, monitor spaces and implement a comprehensive booking system, visit our website here.

Flexible, integrated technology ideal for the fast-evolving challenges across the education sector.

Digitalsolutionstohelpyoumanageclassrooms, lecturehalls, libraries, meetingrooms, desks, visitors, parkingandmore.

Find out more

www.cloudbooking.com

 and fire measures will be needed, as will building condition surveys and asbestos management surveys and plans.

This information may already be held by the school, although for settings with religious character, information may be held by the trustees of the school or the relevant Church of England or Catholic diocese.

Condition surveys

Condition relates to the physical condition of buildings in the estate. This is determined by undertaking condition surveys.

Condition surveys are normally nonintrusive surveys, carried out by suitably qualified professionals. They cover fiveyear planning periods for the purpose of strategic estate management.

Condition surveys will help you to identify what work is needed to maintain the estate, consider how much works might cost, prioritise work within available funds, and understand if the nature of the buildings change.

Academy trusts, dioceses or local authorities may carry out condition surveys on behalf of their schools and prepare a long-term maintenance programme.

The condition survey should identify specific building condition issues, deficiencies and maintenance requirements for aspects such as the roof or windows and doors.

It should also provide an estimated cost for repair or replacement.

Condition surveys should identify critical elements that may require further investigation. This would include possible structural problems and health and safety risks.

Any condition and maintenance issues that are identified should be prioritised using condition grading and prioritisation ratings, as per industry standard.

Consider how frequently buildings should be surveyed. This will depend on the condition, age and the type of buildings.

Identify critical elements that need to be inspected on a regular basis to minimise the impact on school accessibility and the risk of closure of the estate.

If refurbishment work is needed in a building that contains asbestos, a refurbishment and demolition survey may need to be commissioned.

Maintenance planning

Planned and prioritised maintenance is an important part of strategic estate management. To support this you should have an overall maintenance plan for the estate and a plan for day-to-day planned maintenance. These will help you develop an estate strategy and asset management plan (AMP).

As part of any planning, facilities managers should consider the cost-benefit of replacing items that incur significant and ongoing maintenance costs.

A maintenance plan may cover a five-year period, but should schedule a list of works to be undertaken in each year. These should be based on the current condition of the buildings, identified from condition surveys.

Before undertaking any maintenance work, you should appoint a competent representative to manage and advise on contractor activities.

Prioritise works in your maintenance plan, taking account of any legal duties or works which may impact health, safety or security.

When planning longer-term works, it’s important to take account of the findings of regular maintenance cycles. This allows for effective planning and budget allocation, minimising the risk of failure.

A clear plan for managing any works will help to minimise risk and disruption to the running of the school premises.

Procuring and managing maintenance works

Maintenance work will include relatively minor works as well as larger projects.

You may have responsibilities under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM). This will depend on the type, scale and complexity of the works.

Planning for smaller jobs should be simple, short and proportionate to the risks.

You may wish to enter an arrangement with a professional technical advisor or property consultant. They will be able to advise you independently on building fabric and building services issues.

This may be advisable if you are considering maintenance projects such as a capital repair or replacement based on comprehensive condition surveys or need an independent assessment of repair or replacement works recommended by maintenance contractors. This may also be advisable if you have concerns about the safety of systems or need accurate project cost plans.

If you do seek external advice, you should be aware of the possible application of procurement rules. This will depend on the value of the consultancy services. You may want to consider the use of frameworks to procure professional services.

Before undertaking any maintenance work, you should appoint a competent representative to manage and advise on contractor activities. The representative should have sufficient health and safety knowledge for the planned work and be available throughout the duration of the contractor’s activities.

Appoint a competent contractor who is experienced in the type of work you are planning and has liability insurance that reflects the risk involved. You should ask your contractor to explain how they will manage the risks they will create.

Your contractor should be able to explain the steps they will take, the risks at each step and the measures to control the risks and produce documents that are specific to your site and work activity.

You have a duty under CDM to provide contractors with relevant information about your estate, for example the asbestos register. This will enable work to be undertaken safely without risks to the contractor’s health or others.

You should agree with the contractor how the site should be set up. Any changes should be communicated, considered and agreed before being implemented.

Where a proposed change may increase risk, you should challenge this and get assurances that the risks are to be actively managed.

You may need to issue a work permit to authorise works to take place. This could relate to works with specific risks such as hot works.

Once the works commence, the person appointed to administer the contract should make sure that it is well managed. They should make sure that the terms of the contract are met, or any variations are formally agreed. This will help reduce or prevent the risk of errors, including overcharging. It will also ensure the work is delivered and achieves value for money and reduces the risk of contractual disputes. L

FURTHER INFORMATION

DfE’s ‘Good estate management for schools’ (GEMS) guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/goodestate-management-for-schools