Education

Your Trusted Education Consultants

We are education estate specialists. As one of the leading education property consultants in the UK, Barker prides itself on designing and creating inspiring, sustainable spaces where people work, learn, and play.

Sector Overview

See our Education Brochure

Barker specialises in delivering tailored property solutions for education organisations. From strategic planning to project delivery, our team offers a comprehensive, end-to-end service with clear, transparent proposals. Our in-depth understanding of how education organisations are governed, financed, and operated enables us to deliver solutions that align with sector-specific compliance standards.

We are not tied to specific products, technologies, or finance models. As impartial experts, we provide objective advice, helping you select the best options for your organisation while maximising value.

With decades of experience managing projects for education providers across the UK, we understand the unique challenges of working on live education sites. Our safety-first approach ensures minimal disruption, allowing your school or college to continue operating smoothly.

Related Services

CIF Bids More

Condition Surveys More

Feasibility Studies More

CIF Bids

If you’re looking to upgrade your school’s facilities, the DfE Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is vital. At Barker, we have an outstanding track record of successful CIF applications, with millions of pounds in funding secured for our clients.

Our bid-writing expertise is unrivalled.

Our expert team provides step-by-step guidance on CIF bid preparation, ensuring your application meets all eligibility criteria and stands out for funding approval. We help schools maximise CIF funding opportunities available to them, advise you on which project to bid for, and help you create the best submission. Much of our bid writing is done free of charge, giving a very low-risk solution to schools and academies who want to apply

Condition Surveys

Our team will undertake condition surveys of your school’s estate to help you identify the potential risks and the maintenance work needed to ensure good estate management. These surveys help you prioritise repairs, evaluate safety regulation compliance, and compile all of the costs involved. We’ll also advise you on the education funding options that are the most appropriate to your needs.

By identifying issues early, we help you avoid costly, urgent repairs and extend the lifespan of your facilities. Our tailored reports give you clear, actionable insights, empowering you to maintain safe, efficient learning environments while staying within budget.

Get started today with our free Estates360 Tool to discover how your school’s estate management measures up and where you can make improvements.

Use The Free Tool

Feasibility Studies

Our in-house experts will evaluate your needs and goals and develop them into a brief, apply creative strategies, and subject them to a rigorous design process. We’ll run a feasibility study in order to ensure that your educational project aligns with your budget, sector regulations, and operational goals while maximising returns and maintaining full compliance with educational standards.

Our expertise includes site evaluations, detailed cost, and risk assessments. From this, we will create personalised solutions that will meet your institution’s specific requirements, whether the project includes SEND schools, a campus expansion, or implementing long-term sustainability solutions. The feasibility study ensures the success of your project from the ground up.

Energy Strategy For School Estates More

Statutory Compliance Management More

SEND Design More

Energy Strategy For School Estates

We support schools and colleges in achieving their sustainability goals through effective energy management tailored to the education sector. Our approach focuses on reducing carbon and emission targets while improving energy efficiency across estates.

By implementing renewable energy solutions and optimising existing systems, we help educational institutions reduce operational costs and minimise environmental impact.

At the same time, our focus on compliance and future-proofing ensures schools and colleges meet sustainability requirements while achieving energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness in their learning environments.

Take our free Sustainability Assessment today to uncover opportunities for improving energy efficiency and making your school more environmentally friendly.

Take Our Free Assessment

Statutory Compliance Management

At Barker, we provide comprehensive statutory compliance management services to ensure your school’s estate complies with all legal requirements. Our team will ensure that your facilities adhere to all health and safety regulations, and help you stay on top of all obligations to avoid costly penalties allowing you to maintain a low operational overhead.

We will assist with the development and implementation of planned maintenance programmes and the management of your statutory compliance obligations, all whilst ensuring that your school’s estate maintains a safe and secure learning environment for all staff and students.

SEND Design

Barker has a wealth of experience in inclusive school design tailored to the requirements of students with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our designs create accessible environments and flexible spaces that encourage learning, well-being, and independence.

Our team will work with you to get a deep understanding of your school’s specific needs and develop inclusive school designs that ensure full compliance with SEND legislation and accessibility standards so that you can best support every child to thrive in a safe and supportive educational setting.

What Our Education Clients Say About Us

“From the word ‘go’ Barker were professional, proactive, and displayed their expertise. They fully engaged the College and provided invaluable advice throughout the process.”

Bursar, St Dunstan's College

“We have been really pleased with both the levels of success in obtaining grant funding, and the planning/implementation of the projects. Barker has run projects for; replacement of oil heating boilers, re-roofing in 2 stages over two sites, major solar panel installation, and new windows and cladding on our Humanities block. These projects total £2M and have involved complicated issues such as the presence of asbestos, decaying and leaking flat roofs, corroding large hot water pipes, and very tight deadlines for completion of the work. Work has been completed on time and on budget in all cases.”

Bungay High School, Lynn Eldrett, School Business Manager

“We are absolutely thrilled with our wonderful new facility. You used our limited funds to excellent advantage and we have ended up with a library that is fully functional, spacious, practical and inspirational. What more could we ask! The fact that you took ownership of the project put so much time and effort into it and made a personal commitment to making all the components come together so successfully, ensured that we felt safe under your leadership.”

Henrietta Barnett School, Mrs SD Cooke Headteacher

“The Aquinas Church of England Education Trust and Rye Academy Trust are pleased to be working with Barker on a much needed £4.1million refurbishment programme of Rye College. Working in partnership with Barker Associates the two Trusts have secured a £2million Condition Improvement Fund Grant from the ESFA together with a further £2.1 million of additional Emergency Funding for urgent condition related works.”

Rye Academy Trust

“We approached Barker to assist us with accessing government funding for the decarbonisation of our estates through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and delivering the resulting projects. Barker worked with us proactively to write a compelling bid document which resulted in a successful PSDS application and grant funding of c£694k. Barker is highly professional, responsive and knowledgeable.”

L.E.A.D Academy Trust