Updated: 26th September, 2024
Created: 18th September, 2024
Robert joined Barker in 2002 and is a Partner based in our Braintree office. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, he has over 20 years’ experience of all core building surveying services and provides strategic estates advice to key accounts in the education, commercial, ecclesiastical and public sectors.
An education specialist, he provides the following services: estates and energy strategy, asset management planning, project management and capital funding applications.
Robert works closely with clients to plan and implement energy efficiency and sustainability strategies to save money, reduce carbon emissions and meet ESG objectives.
As a RICS Certified Historic Buildings Professional he provides conservation consultancy for clients with listed and historic buildings.
Robert is an experienced APC Assessor and Chairman and is also an external examiner for Anglia Ruskin University
As a Partner Robert leads the Business Development and Marketing function at Barker, builds relationships with key sector bodies and helps steer the strategic growth of the company.
Email: rgould@barker-associates.co.uk
Tel: 01279 648057
With 9.1 million people attending schools in the United Kingdom, it’s no surprise that estates experience significant wear and tear over the years. Regular maintenance is a crucial task that ensures both land and buildings remain not just safe for students and staff, but also valuable assets. Maintenance work can include a broad range of projects, from simple jobs to larger and more complex schemes, all of which are important to creating the best environment for teaching and learning. The right approach to estate management will enable you to optimise resources, minimise disruption and ensure your estate supports your educational needs and goals.
Not all schools have the same maintenance requirements and knowing how to plan and prioritise your estate maintenance is essential. Below we have explored why all schools should strategically manage their estates and how you can prioritise maintenance tasks, using the Department for Education’s Good Estates Management for Schools (GEMS) guidance to help keep your buildings and land in good condition.
Many schools are experiencing financial pressures, resulting in cuts to maintenance budgets. However, adequately maintaining your estate is of the utmost importance. A strategic approach to estate management is vital to ensure your school can operate efficiently and all areas are well-maintained. It can help you make informed decisions supported by evidence and allocate funds to prioritise essential maintenance and avoid costly emergency repairs in the future.
Good estate management and regular maintenance can help to prevent the closure of your buildings and teaching areas from becoming unfit for purpose. It can reduce the likelihood of disruption to the day-to-day running of your school and your students’ education. Not to mention, help you avoid potential legal claims by mitigating risks to the health, safety and welfare of building users. With a strategic approach to estate management, you can ensure compliance with regulations and that you’re meeting the requirements of any funding agreements. Ultimately, you can ensure you’re making good investment decisions, avoiding unnecessary expenditures and extending the life of your estate.
When it comes to managing your estate, maintenance work typically falls into two categories; planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance. Understanding these different types of maintenance is crucial for finding the right balance and managing your school effectively for years to come. It’s recognised as good practice to have a 70:30 ratio when allocating PPM and reactive maintenance budgets.
Planned preventative maintenance is a proactive strategy that involves carrying out inspections, servicing and repairs to fix issues before failures occur and disrupt operations. PPM can also help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Routine Inspections – Regularly checking infrastructure such as roofs, windows and plumbing fixtures can help identify wear and tear before it becomes problematic.
Scheduled Servicing – A comprehensive service of systems like fire alarms and HVAC systems will ensure they’re always in good working order.
Long-term Planning – Planning for major maintenance works in advance, like replacing old boilers or refurbishing facilities, will cause less inconvenience.
PPM is aligned with the Good Estates Management for Schools (GEMS) guidance, which emphasises the importance of a proactive approach to maintenance to avoid the costs and disruptions associated with reactive repairs.
Reactive maintenance is the approach taken when problems arise unexpectedly and need immediate attention. While some reactive maintenance is inevitable and accidents happen, it can be costly and disruptive, particularly in a school.
Emergency Repairs – Unplanned repairs that require prompt action, such as fixing a burst pipe or addressing a power outage, are sometimes unavoidable.
Unscheduled Maintenance – Any work needed outside planned and recurring maintenance, often due to unexpected failures or accidents, shouldn’t be overlooked.
While reactive maintenance is essential to ensure operations don’t suffer when an unexpected failure occurs, schools are encouraged to follow the fundamentals of good estate management to reduce their reliance on this type of maintenance.
When deciding which maintenance tasks to prioritise, several factors must be considered. For instance, the age of your buildings and the way they were originally constructed can have a significant impact on your maintenance plans.
Typically, the best way to gain a better understanding of the current condition of your estate and the maintenance required is to conduct a condition survey. This type of survey is designed to provide insights into all aspects of your buildings and land, enabling you to identify what work is needed as well as how much the work is likely to cost. With this information, you are in a better position to prioritise maintenance work.
One of the main concerns for any school is the health and safety of students, staff and visitors on-site. Therefore, maintenance that directly impacts health, safety and security is often a priority. Similarly, maintenance that ensures compliance with legal duties and responsibilities is crucial. Schools need to address any issues related to health, safety and compliance first as overlooking them could have serious consequences, from safety risks and financial penalties to reputational damage and operational disruptions.
Since budgets are tight, schools need to carefully allocate their maintenance resources. When prioritising tasks, it’s beneficial to use condition grading and risk assessments. This will help determine the likelihood of failure and the impact it could have. It’s then easier to allocate available resources to vital maintenance work, preventing time and money from being spent on non-essential tasks. However, it’s also important to consider the long-term benefits of preventative maintenance. For example, fixing minor issues now can prevent more expensive damage later. Not to mention, part of estate management is weighing up the cost-benefit of replacing high-maintenance items with more efficient solutions.
There are funding streams available to help schools with ongoing maintenance. A major type of education funding is the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). This funding supports projects that address maintenance needs, such as; fixing health and safety or safeguarding issues, repairing leaking roofs, cladding and windows, or replacing heating and hot water systems. It is open to individual schools and smaller trusts. The CIF 2025-26 round opens this autumn and Barker’s education funding experts can help with funding applications. We can advise on the best projects to bid for and guide you through the whole application process. Larger MATs are funded through the School Condition Allocation.
Schools are complex environments in which to deliver building and maintenance works. Occupied premises and safeguarding principles all put restrictions on what can be done and when. Many schools also have additional issues such as asbestos that can complicate otherwise simple works. These restrictions inevitably impact on delivery timescales and costs. These factors increase the importance of planning maintenance works wherever possible rather than relying on reactive responses to incidents.
It can be useful to separate out common, predictable or cyclical maintenance requirements to form the basis of your Planned Maintenance Programme. Decorations on 5 or 7 year cycles, regular servicing of plant and equipment and grounds maintenance can all be predicted and planned in advance. These jobs can be integrated with known upcoming maintenance requirements identified through your condition surveys to build up a comprehensive plan.
It can be easy to overlook, but it’s essential to consider how maintenance impacts the learning environment. For example, while fixing your heating system may be one of the costliest tasks, if the system fails during the winter months it could make classrooms unusable, disrupting students’ education. Other projects, such as updating playgrounds or sports facilities, may not seem essential but they play a key role in the well-being of students. So, it’s important to have a well-rounded approach when prioritising estate maintenance.
Ultimately, planning and prioritising maintenance works will ensure your estate remains fit for purpose. By using the Good Estates Management for Schools (GEMS) guidance, you can ensure you’re managing your land and buildings effectively, providing students with the best possible educational experience. Having a strategic approach to maintenance not only ensures your school can continue to operate efficiently but also protects your assets.
Barker provides comprehensive support with education property management. With decades of knowledge and expertise, we can provide the professional advice you need to manage your estate. As one of the leading education property consultants, we will work collaboratively with you to create a management plan that meets your specific needs. Get in touch with us today to learn more about estate maintenance and the vast range of services we provide.