The 3 P's of excellent School Premises - eBook

Your Free Summer Toolkit How to get your school 100% compliant

Get your school back on track this summer and start September 100% compliant

It’s been a long while since schools were operating in some form of normality so it makes sense that some basic routine compliance requirements may have been forgotten. While there was a period where things were allowed to slide a little, the pressure is now on and standards will be expected to be met now more than ever.

Our Toolkit will help you to make the most of the summer holidays and get your school’s compliance up to scratch ahead of the new academic year. As part of this guide, you will also receive free access to your own iAM account* to help you manage all the tasks needed to become fully compliant.

CONTENTS 2 Your Summer Compliance Roadmap 3 Revealed: The 3 P’s of School Premises Excellence 4 People 5 Place 6 Process 12 Put The 3 P’s into Practice 13 Your iAM Compliant Account

*Upon download, iAM will create your free account and email login details within 24-48 hours.

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Your Summer Roadmap How to reach 100% compliance in 6 weeks 01 SURVEY AND CONTRACTOR TASKS

02 SCHEDULING & INTERNAL TASKS

Tell iAM what assets you have in your school. It will then produce a list of all the tasks associated with them.

Book in all your contractors and schedule their visits on the system. You can relax a little now as you have just taken a major step forward!

Update all your contractor tasks and watch your compliance rating go up already!

03 ANNUAL TASKS

Update all your internal tasks with the date you last completed them. Notice how your compliance is really starting to move now?

You should now be able to identify all the tasks that are due between now and the start of term.

TASK 01

TASK 02

04 3 & 6 MONTHLY TASKS Conduct all 3 & 6 monthly tasks in your iAM schedule that are due between now and the start of term.

There aren’t a lot in this group so enjoy some spare time as a result! But don’t forget to keep an eye on those contractors.

TASK 03

TASK 04

05 MONTHLY TASKS Conduct all monthly tasks in your iAM schedule that are due between now and the start of term.

If starting this over the summer holidays, don’t start these tasks until the second week of August.

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Conduct all the annual tasks in your iAM schedule that are due between now and the start of term.

Doing these tasks gets them out the way early with the advantage of rescheduling them for next year.

You will also have plenty of time to sort out any issues that fall out from them.

TASK 05

TASK 06

06 WEEKLY TASKS Conduct all weekly tasks in your iAM schedule that are due between now and the start of term.

Try and do these tasks on the Thursday or Friday of the week before the start of term to allow you a bit of flexibility when the school reopens.

Congratulations you should now be on 100%. WELL DONE!

REVEALED The 3 P’s of School Premises Excellence Let’s be honest, premises management and compliance aren’t the most exciting or appreciated parts of running a school when there’s so much else to worry about. But you and your site team don’t do it for glory. You do it to keep people safe, and that’s what really matters.

Every school has a legal duty of care to their staff, pupils and visitors to their premises. The problem is that remaining within the law can be costly and time consuming if not managed efficiently. To help you keep your school compliant and maintenance costs down, you need an effective premises management strategy.

When building a premises management strategy for your school that really hits the mark, remember the three P’s: People, Place and Process. You need to consider what you need to do for each, what is applicable in your school and the activities and tasks that all participate in.

People

who is in your building and what are they using it for? By putting the people first using a heightened duty of care, you must consider their aims and objectives whilst at the same time protecting their safety and well-being.

Place

think about what is particular about your school building. The Health & Safety at Work act is in place to protect employees, but there are further legal requirements that schools are expected to adhere to.

Remember, when it comes to compliance, the specifics will depend on your school but the basics, like fire safety, are always going to be required so be sure to learn all you can about those.

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Process

what legal and best practice processes need to be followed to make sure your school is compliant?

PEOPLE People should always be at the forefront of your school’s premises management strategy.

When you’re thinking about people you need to: • Make sure that you know the aims and needs of the people using your building and what they use the space for • Improve the quality of life for your staff and pupils. This will lead to improvements in the productivity of your school Keeping everyone safe and in good health is beneficial for your school as a whole. If an accident should occur, you can prove that you were compliant with laws and regulations and avoid unnecessary risk and liabilities.

What do people want from your school?

Pupils, staff and visitors want a positive experience from their surroundings at a school and poorly kept facilities will very quickly have a stressful impact on everyone.

First impressions and practicalities are key to a positive atmosphere and can be achieved by meeting basic expectations: Outside: • Clear, clean and welcoming signage • Well kept grounds, trees and shrubs • Well lit pathways • Pathways clear of weeds, moss, broken paving slabs etc Inside: • Areas are clean, tidy and clutter free • Areas are a comfortable temperature, ventilated and well lit • Glass, particularly in doors, is clean and free from marks • The decor is fresh, warm and inviting

WHERE STUDENTS LEARN MATTERS: • Teachers in satisfactory physical surroundings

are more likely to stay

• Poor physical environments are strongly

associated with truancy and higher rates of

student suspension

• Inadequately maintained premises increase

the risk of an accident occurrence

• The quality and condition of school facilities Facilities: • Equipment is serviceable, safe and well maintained • All facilities are safe to use, and hazards are properly signposted • Washroom facilities are kept clean and properly stocked

“THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED SURVEYORS (RICS) REVEALED THAT 61% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS FELT THAT THE COMFORT OF HAVING WELL-MAINTAINED FACILITIES HAD POSITIVELY IMPACTED THEIR WELLBEING AT WORK.”

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affect student performance and wellbeing

• School facilities provide services and benefits

to their communities

PLACE When it comes to place, you must understand what needs to be done to keep your school safe, clean and efficient. For example, old or listed buildings present different challenges to new builds.

A school spends an

More than 80% of

average of 10% of its

school maintenance is

annual budget on

done in-house

maintenance & operations but it is estimated that school maintenance

Ageing schools built with a 50 year useful lifespan need to allow for 2% deterioration per year, but additionally schools have been further impacted by:

budgets are underfunded by as much as 44%

• Health & Safety Regulation increase • Environmental responsibilities • Education reforms (population growth / class sizes) • Increased need to serve Special Needs students and

the physically disabled

• Increased technology

Planned Preventative

Estimated at least

Maintenance (PPM) can

£11.4Billion in deferred

extend the life of building

maintenance and repairs

assets by up to 25%

in schools is driving up costs

• Increased safety and security • School grounds being used as a community asset

“SCHOOL PREMISES AND THE ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES PROVIDED THEREIN MUST BE MAINTAINED TO A STANDARD SUCH THAT, SO FAR AS IS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE, THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF PUPILS ARE ENSURED.” THE SCHOOL PREMISES (ENGLAND) REGULATIONS, 2012, REGULATION 6 ‘HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE

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PROCESS Premises management encompasses far more than most people realise. Sure, there are the obvious responsibilities like fire safety planning, repair works and waste management, but a good premises management team looks after so much more.

When you are thinking about process you need to: • Embed good practice and compliance in all of your processes. Make sure you follow correct procedure and keep accurate records • Seek out and act on regular feedback from your staff and pupils • Be preventative, not reactive – basically, if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready, and if you avoid problems, you don’t have to solve them When it comes to legal requirements and processes for schools, you need to remember that every council in the country has their own local guideline to adhere to. Be sure to check on the website of the council your school belongs to for details.

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AS PART OF THIS TOOLKIT, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF THE PROCESSES YOU NEED TO HAVE IN PLACE TO ENSURE SCHOOL PREMISES EXCELLENCE: ENSURING COMPLIANCE TO STATUTORY REGULATIONS You should make sure that you comply with the statutory compliance regulations to protect the building fabric, systems and users.

You should also hold information and certification for the major items of fabric, plant and equipment likely to be present in most buildings, including: • air conditioning systems • asbestos • boilers (and other gas installations and equipment) • fire escape and safety • electrical fixed wiring and equipment • lifts • local exhaust ventilation (LEV) extraction systems (kitchen extract) • water systems

FIRE SAFETY PLANNING Regular testing and record keeping of the fire alarm panel, fire alarm sounders, fire alarm call points, emergency lights, and door closers, is a requirement.

Review your Fire Risk Assessment periodically and ensure that the checks that you are doing align with your fire risk assessment.

WATER SYSTEM MANAGEMENT Toilets, sinks and anything else that needs water must be safely connected, functional and free from bacteria.

Legionella bacteria is commonly found in water and the management of the water system falls upon your school’s responsible person. Legionella bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 20-45°C and nutrients are available. The bacteria are dormant below 20°C and do not survive above 60°C. The management of water systems should be split into: 1. COLD WATER SYSTEMS: Storage tanks, sinks, basins, showers, drinking water outlets (taps and water fountains). It is important to increase the frequency of outlet flushing and temperature monitoring to maintain water quality within the entire system.

2. HOT WATER SYSTEMS: Calorifiers, directfired water heaters, sinks, basins, showers, TMV’s.

Water temperatures must be kept within limits recommended for the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. Regularly check hot water generation for functionality and if required, temperature recording.

Check all fire escapes are clear, fire doors and operational and undamaged, signage is correct, and fire blankets and extinguishers are all fully functional.

LEAR

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NING

CON

TENT

WASTE MANAGEMENT

COMPETENT PERSON

Waste management is not just emptying bins.

There needs to be a system in place for safe storage and correct removal of all waste. Good waste management practice should also be based on the implementation of the “waste hierarchy”:

Every school should have an appointed competent / responsible person to help you comply with health and safety law and take all reasonable steps to keep people from harm. This could be more than one person, but they will have the ability to recognise health and safety risks and identify sensible solutions.

1. ELIMINATE the use of materials in the first place, e.g. issue documents electronically instead 2. REDUCE the amount of materials used, e.g. print double-sided 3. RECOVER 4. REUSE materials, e.g. waste paper made into animal bedding 5. RECYCLE materials, e.g. separate paper, food packaging etc 6. DISPOSE - landfill only if none of the above is possible

EFFECTIVE HOUSEKEEPING Poor housekeeping practices frequently contribute to incidents. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious hazards may be taken for granted. So have a clear and concise cleaning regime.

But housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes asking all staff to work together to keep work areas neat and orderly, maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the classroom, clear corridor marking and signage, the adequacy of storage facilities, and general maintenance.

Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a one-time or hit-and-miss clean-up done occasionally. Periodic “panic” clean-ups are costly and ineffective in reducing incidents.

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A competent person should have: • • • •

a core knowledge of safety sufficient training the experience to apply that knowledge correctly the personal qualities needed to undertake functions effectively

Senior leadership should ensure that this level of competence is retained and provide regular training.

REPAIR WORKS AND ALTERATIONS TO STRUCTURE For any building or repair projects, you have a crucial influence over how the project is run, including the management of health and safety risks. Here’s what you need to do: Step 1: Define the project Step 2: Set a budget & prioritise goals Step 3: Identify issues and complete a risk assessment Step 4: Define the schedule Step 5: Appoint the suitable contractors and provide suitable welfare facilities Step 6: Periodically review progress Step 7: Close project and identify follow-on actions

ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT Asbestos is found particularly in older buildings built prior to 2000. This stuff is a killer and needs managing correctly. Make sure you read your Asbestos Management Plan and update it accordingly if you have any building works done.

Remember: • Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed - avoid ALL unnecessary disturbance.

• If unsure, presume that material contains asbestos • The duty to manage does not require asbestos removal • You don’t always need a specialist but when you do, make sure they are qualified and competent

SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL A secure workplace is vital to keep staff, pupils, assets and goods, and data productive and safe.

Best practices for security include having a written plan, conducting regular audits and emphasising the importance of security to all staff. Visitor management and access control can play a key role in security.

sure this includes checking potential hiding spots like cupboards and bathrooms etc • If you are using physical keys, make sure you get a locksmith to ensure a copy is numbered and the assignment of keys to individuals is recorded • If you use a keypad panel, change the code periodically • Check your key registry regularly by having staff present the keys assigned to them

PEST CONTROL Effective pest control supports the provision of a safe and healthy school, making it a welcoming and attractive environment. It also offers protection of your school’s reputation.

As well as the threat of spreading diseases, pest infestations have a negative impact on quality of life in general. Schools who regard pest control as a peripheral matter or an unnecessary expense are taking a risk. The most effective method to ensure protection and compliance is to introduce a maintenance cycle programme, with regular, seasonal, targeted pest control activities, to offer value and peace of mind to all staff, pupils and visitors.

Key Points: • Don’t give out keys (or access codes, etc.) to more staff than strictly needed • Don’t relying on the very fallible “first in, last out” plan for securing your school, assign access security as a fixed responsibility to specific individuals • Develop and document a thorough and consistent plan for opening and closing your school, making

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ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

INSURANCE

Us humans have become reliant on finding a way to tap into the energy supplies buried deep in our earth. Fossil fuels burn, providing energy for us to obtain resources and power for our modern-day life.

It is estimated that 75% of commercial buildings are underinsured. Be sure that you have checked that ALL activities at your school are covered in your insurance policy.

All organisations have a responsibility for how they use this energy and how to make its use sustainable. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) identifies the key environmental issues faced by an organisation and provides strategies and plans for managing them effectively. It also defines the legal requirements for each individual activity, and identifies the regulatory permits and licences required to be maintained.

When doing so, consider the following:

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Substances or products that are mixtures of substances - cleaning products for example - could cause harm to staff, pupils, contractors and other visitors.

COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. You can prevent or reduce exposure to any hazardous substances at your school by: • •

•

• • •

•

•

finding out what the health hazards are deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment) providing control measures to reduce harm to health making sure control measures are used keeping all control measures in good working order providing information, instruction and training for staff and others providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases planning for emergencies

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1. Maintenance and repair standards are high 2. High-risk activities are monitored and documented 3. Interruption costs are reviewed periodically 4. Estimated asset replacement costs are reviewed periodically 5. Risk improvement strategy is documented 6. Change of use – particularly if your school’s being used for community activities 7. Fire and security protection is always operational 8. Common and special hazards are risk assessed

MAINTAINING DISABILITIES PROVISION You may need to make sure that all physical features of your school accommodate those with a disability. If the physical feature puts disabled staff, pupils or visitors at a disadvantage, you must adjust it to remove or reduce the impact of the physical barrier. These alterations are known as reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments include adapting steps for ramps, widening doorways, relocating switches & handles, putting in place audio-visual fire alarms and providing accessible toilet facilities. Regular routine checking that alert systems, such as the accessible toilet alarm, are operational is also a requirement.

UTILITY MANAGEMENT

FUNCTIONING SAFETY SYSTEMS

No school can work without power, heat and water, right? Yet many schools have unnecessary utility wastage or costs. Any money spent on utilities can significantly affect your school’s budgeting and is one of the areas where savings can be made through good planning and management.

Regular inspections are an important part of the overall occupational health and safety program.

Workplace inspections help prevent injuries and illnesses by identifying and recording hazards for corrective action.

If utility costs increase in the future as predicted, savings could also increase. You should always proactively measure and manage all utilities consumption. If you can, monitor and agree targets for utility consumption so that you have measurable targets for cost effective saving measures. Review utility purchasing and tariffs regularly against actual consumption and take advantage of any financial incentives to become more energy efficient.

Risk assessments, signage, hazard awareness, or any system used to keep people safe should be regularly monitored, kept updated and functional.

Understanding how your energy is used and identifying opportunities for efficiencies will enable sustainable cost reductions.

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PUTTING INTO PRACTICE Maintaining the safety and well-being of the occupants of a school is no easy task, especially when budgets are tight. The key is to always maximise the efficiency of the assets you have and achieving value for money.

Taking a strategic approach to premises management means that you are more likely to meet the aims your school requires and of those who inhabit the space. It also means that things won’t be so likely to go wrong, creating a safe and healthy workplace for your people.

The key is to sit down and physically plan out what you need to do, who is going to do it and by when.

It all comes back to the three Ps – People, Place and Process.

• Innovation and learning – How are you going to incorporate feedback from your staff and pupils? How will you build reviewing practice and compliance audits into your overall approach? Consider this first and you won’t have to go back and fix things that should never have been.

If you build consideration of these factors into your strategy, you’ll be well on your way towards being the best of the best. You also won’t have to rely on wiping those memories of the time the air-con stopped working during that heat wave – Bonus.

What are your key performance indicators for a premises management strategy?

• Financial indicators – make sure your approach is financially efficient. Can you afford to set out the building in the way you want to? Research and write down all the costs involved.

• Stakeholder experience – how are you going to make sure the people using your building are happy? What do your specific stakeholders need? Try asking them with questionnaires and consultations.

• Operational excellence – this is about compliance, efficiency and taking a preventative approach, such as maintenance rather than repair. Consider, for example, a flood. Plan for it with extra drainage and it’ll pay for itself.

Should the worst happen, then you’ll lose less downtime.

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SAVE TIME AND MONEY ON YOUR SCHOOL’S COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT & STAFF TRAINING iAM Compliant is a web-based tool, specifically designed to help you with your everyday health and safety compliance and reporting, and features all the eLearning training your school will ever need

You can create regular tasks, assign jobs, produce reports and even prevent potential issues happening before they occur.

As part of your free account, you’ll have access to the complete premises compliance toolkit, incident and accident reporting, personalised audits and risk assessments, fire safety training, how-to video guides and much more.

iAM develops its own world class animated eLearning content library that sells globally as a stand alone business brand, alongside our compliance app

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The most important impact iAM Compliant has made on the school is that it gives our managers, premises team and our governors surety that we’re doing the right things, at the right time, and that we’ve done it in the most cost-effective way.

Terry Redfern, Head Of Finance, Business and Administration. Brimsham Green School

The compliance community APP for head teachers, school business managers and site teams.

Our free app, the iAM Staff Room is purpose built for head teachers, school business managers and site teams to help you gain insight and knowledge into areas of your school compliance that you might be less familiar with.

Your leadership team and premises staff can join the compliance conversation and get any questions answered by your peers. You’ll also receive help from qualified and experienced safety professionals within the iAM Schools community team whenever you may be facing any compliance issues.

Download the app here (iOS) Download the app here (Android)

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WANT TO LEARN MORE? Book in for a free demo to help you get your account up and running today!

Simply email ian@iamcompliant.com to arrange a suitable time.

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