Updated: 27th November, 2025
Created: 1st December, 2025
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
The Department for Education (DfE) has issued an important update to the Net Capacity Assessment (NCA) programme, including revised guidance, a refreshed tranche list, and for the first time, a published schedule for Valuation Office Agency (VOA) site visits.
This update will directly impact Trust leaders, school business professionals and anyone responsible for strategic estate planning. It also builds on the foundations set out in Good Estate Management for Schools (GEMS) and reinforces the importance of accurate, consistent capacity data.
This article summarises what has changed, why it matters, and how schools can proactively prepare.
The DfE’s latest update includes three key elements:
The guidance now confirms when the Valuation Office Agency will be conducting on-site assessments as part of the NCA process. This provides greater visibility for schools and MATs, allowing them to prepare documentation, ensure access and engage appropriately with assessors.
The tranche list has been updated to show which schools will be assessed and in which order. This is essential for forward planning, particularly for trusts managing multiple sites at different stages of the programme.
The DfE has refreshed the:
If you’re unfamiliar with how the programme operates in practice, our overview, What You Need to Know About the Net Capacity Assessment Programme, provides a clear breakdown of how NCA works, common pitfalls and what assessors look for.
Net Capacity (sufficiency) is one of the core datasets required for effective, compliant, and strategic estate management. Within the GEMS framework, it sits alongside other essential information, including:
Together, these datasets allow leaders to make evidence-based decisions about planning, investment and risk. Net Capacity plays a particularly pivotal role because it bridges both long-term and operational considerations.
With accurate NCA data, schools can confidently align estate decisions to educational need and financial strategy.
Capacity can be assessed through:
The updated DfE NCA tool provides a nationally consistent methodology based on the size, type and status of each space within a school. It generates:
This approach ensures comparability across the system and gives schools a reliable baseline for future estate planning.
With published VOA visit windows, schools can ensure documentation is ready, and estate teams are prepared to support the assessment.
The NCA draws heavily on the accuracy of room information. Schools should ensure floor plans, room schedules and space-use data are up to date.
The refreshed guidance reinforces the need for schools to integrate NCA findings into:
This is a timely moment to review all core datasets and ensure your estate information is complete, accurate and ready to inform strategic decisions.
Understanding the full NCA programme is essential for aligning estate strategy with curriculum and capital planning. The DfE Net Capacity Assessment guidance provides comprehensive details on how the programme is structured, including assessment phases and reporting expectations.
If you would like help preparing for your NCA visit, validating your estate data or integrating Net Capacity into a long-term estate strategy, Barker’s specialist education team is here to support you.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help you align your estate with curriculum, capacity and funding priorities.
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