Education Property, Issue 1, February-March 2024

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

02/2024

Best practice in the design of educational facilities Investing in the next generation of schools, colleges, and nurseries Meeting the net-zero carbon challenge Driving efficiency in the education estate Market and industry insight

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Comment

W E L C O M E

A new era for the education estate Welcome to the first edition of Education Property magazine.

To be published bi-monthly, this new title will be bringing you all the latest news from the education property sector, including financial and market analysis and trends.

We will also be exploring best practice in the design and construction of the next generation of nurseries, schools, and higher and further education facilities, as well as looking at estates and facilities management practices.

In this first edition, we cover the education sector’s continued journey to becoming carbon net zero and speak to leading industry experts about how the buildings of the future will be financed and operated.

There’s insight from leading industry figures from the Education Policy Institute, Glenigans, the Association of University Directors of Estates, Gerald Eve, DAB Beachcroft, the NBS, and Christie & Co, among others.

And the launch comes at a pertinent time for the sector as it follows the publication of several new reports focusing on the deterioration of, and the challenges facing, the education estate — including

rising backlog maintenance and RAAC removal.

It also comes at the beginning of a year which is expected to include a general election — with education always a key manifesto talking point.

In this edition we look at what the main political parties need to be thinking about when it comes to making improvements to the education estate, as well as exploring current trends in real estate investment.

There is also a look at architectural best practice, including the role of biophilic design, and there is a special report on the schools RAAC crisis.

Moving into 2024, Education Property will bring you all the latest from the marketplace.

And we want to hear from you!

If you can help, or have projects and news/industry insight you want to share with us, please email joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

About Jo: Jo is the editor of Education Property, having joined Nexus Media in November.

She has been specialising in design and construction best practice for the past 14 years, working on the Building Better Healthcare Awards and editing both

Building Better Healthcare and Healthcare Design & Management magazines.

She has a special interest in the design of public buildings including schools, nurseries, colleges, hospitals, health centres, and libraries.

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Jo Makosinski Editor Education Property

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 3

The Harkalm Group are a leading UK property investment and development company specialising in the Education Sector.

Below is a selection of the educational properties we acquired in 2023:

We have a proven track record having successfully completed numerous acquisitions with some of the UK’s leading nursery operators.

Please get in contact if you wish to discuss the following opportunities: Acquiring vacant buildings or land with potential for conversion or development into a new nursery setting.

Sale & Leasebacks.

Acquiring a freehold property as part of a going concern.

T: 020 7435 2535

E: childcare@harkalm.com

W: harkalm.com

Contents

6-9 News

Chief executive officer Alex Dampier Chief operating officer Sarah Hyman Chief marketing officer Julia Payne Editor Joanne Makosinski joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

We round up the latest big stories, including new school projects, clarification of the Department for Education’s sustainability goals, and plans for a student accommodation scheme in London

10-12 Policy

Political parties focus on education as the general election looms, plus the challenges facing higher education estates managers

30 30-32 Estates and Facilities Management

We look at the findings of a worrying new report which lifts the lid on challenges facing education estates managers, including information on the ongoing RAAC crisis

Reporter and subeditor Charles Wheeldon Business development director Mike Griffin Advertising & event sales director Caroline Bowern

14

Business development executive Kirsty Parks Sales manager Luke Crist Publisher Harry Hyman

Investor Publishing Ltd, 5th Floor, Greener House, 66-68 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4RF Tel: 020 7104 2000 Website: www.education-property.com

14-19 Finance and Property Deals

An overview of the key trends in real estate financing for the education sector, the future of PFI schemes, and an energy provider reveals his plans to give back to schools

Education Property is published six times a year

by Investor Publishing Ltd. ISSN 3033-3458 © Investor Publishing Limited 2024 The views expressed in Healthcare Property are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers.

Exploring the education sector’s net zero carbon challenge and the support available, plus university launches carbon-cutting tool for higher education providers, and a look at the greenest primary school in the country

42-44 Products

Architects and contractors turn to technology to reduce the environmental impact of projects, it’s a year of two halves for education construction, and the opportunities and challenges of the real estate market

46-47 Interview

20-27 Market Analysis

28-29 Building Design

The opening of Winterstoke Hundred Academy, north Somerset’s first net-zero school

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34-41 Environmental

20

@edu_prop linkedin.com/company/education-property-magazine/

38

Why correct flooring specification is vital in education settings Peter Courtney, education lead at LSI Architects, talks to Education Property about his career in the sector and how design approaches have evolved to meet the needs of clients

48-50 People

Staffing and people news, including the findings of the Government’s Teacher Workload Reduction Taskforce

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 5

News

Green light for Dyson STEM donation A £6m donation to build a first-class science, technology, engineering, art and maths (STEM) centre in Wiltshire has received the green light from Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan.

Ministers at the department for education have approved the expansion of Malmesbury Primary School in Wiltshire for the new centre, which was a condition of the donation from the Dyson Foundation.

The expansion will see purpose-built rooms equipped for design, technology, art, science, and mathematics-based activities as well as additional classrooms.

And, if planning permission is approved by Wiltshire Council, it is expected to be open to pupils from September 2027.

The Prime Minister has, separately, announced his ambitious 10-year plan to drive up young people’s skills through the Advanced British Standard, requiring all pupils in England to study some form of maths to the age of 18.

This will help embed essential numeracy skills and give young people a platform to develop STEM expertise, supporting the Government’s plan to create a world-class education system by growing the economy and investing in the skills that industry desperately needs.

The reforms are already improving maths education and driving up standards, with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study finding that England outperformed the international average in maths, rising to 11th in international league tables in 2022.

Keegan said: “I welcome this generous

Image: Victoria, Pixabay

donation from the Dyson Foundation, which will support cutting-edge education for local pupils, helping to develop the scientists and engineers of the future.

“This new centre will provide world-class facilities for pupils in Malmesbury and the surrounding areas to inspire them and develop the skills we need to compete on the world stage.

“The £6m donation builds on the work we have been doing to boost the uptake of STEM subjects in schools and through apprenticeships and further education, boosting growth and opportunity in these vital sectors.”

To support growth and develop STEM

skills, the department runs programmes such as the Stimulating Physics Network, and has a network of maths hubs and scholarships worth £30,000 to encourage more teachers to nurture future talent by teaching STEM subjects.

Additionally, design and technology trainee teachers will now receive tax-free bursaries of £25,000 to train to teach, up from £20,000 in the academic year 2023/24.

New T Level qualifications are also being rolled out, including in engineering and manufacturing, while a network of 21 Institutes of Technology is being established to work closely with industry and pioneer higher-level STEM training.

A roadmap for sustainability The Department for Education (DfE) has pledged to clarify how it will meet its sustainability targets.

Baroness Barran, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the DfE, confirmed to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) last month that a detailed roadmap will be published by this autumn.

This decision is in response to EAC chairman, Philip Dunne MP, writing to the Secretary of State for Education in November 6 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

to warn that the department was not ‘moving at pace’ to deliver on its net zero target of 2050.

The EAC maintains that the Government has not ‘fully grasped’ the impact climate change could have on schools.

And it is also concerned there is not sufficient funding to retrofit the estate, urging the Government to consider sustainability and climate risks alongside essential retrofitting to replace RAAC. Dunne said: “In November,

the committee raised alarm that the Department for Education’s current plans would see only 20% of the school estate in England net zero carbon compliant by 2050.

“This is a significant worry when education is currently the largest emitter of carbon from buildings in the public sector.

“For the whole of the UK to meet net zero, the education sector in England must make swifter progress on decarbonisation.”

He added: “I welcome the minister’s commitment to publish a roadmap later this year for the Department for Education to meet its sustainability targets.

“This will be an invaluable resource, allowing the department to set out in detail the challenges ahead and giving ministers sufficient visibility of the urgent case for significant additional funding for this large element of the public buildings estate.”

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News

New development at Manchester SEND school Kier has been appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to construct a new building for St John Vianney RC SEND school in Stretford, Greater Manchester.

The scheme will provide a 4,470sq m newbuild facility accommodating 160 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from primary school age through to Year 13.

The building will include both primary and secondary SEND classrooms, information and communication technology (ICT) classrooms, design technology workshops, food technology classrooms, science studios, hair and beauty training salons, and sports and fitness rooms.

There will also be medical treatment rooms, therapy rooms, quiet calming spaces, and sensory rooms.

In addition to the new main building, the project also includes a ‘pavilion’ building with a sports hall and hydrotherapy pool.

As the existing school will remain operational while the new one is being built, the project will be completed through phased construction and handovers.

And Kier is working with the DfE to make the school block net zero carbon in operation during core school hours through the use of renewable energy sources, including substantial areas of photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps.

“The whole school community is really excited about the new building development and has worked closely with Kier and its partners to ensure the project will develop a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of our SEND learners,” said Aidan Moloney, headteacher.

“The design concept, which we have developed with Kier, will give the children

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and young people of St John Vianney outstanding facilities and premises to ensure we can fully deliver our curriculum intent to prepare all of our pupils fully for their steps

into adulthood.”

The project was procured through the DfE’s new CF21 framework and is due to complete in August 2026.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 7

News

Secondary school scheme reaches completion BAM has completed the design and construction of a new five-form entry secondary school in North West London.

North Brent School, part of the Wembley Multi-Academy Trust, will provide 1,150 places for pupils in years 7-13 in a new state-of-the-art, sustainable school building, with an interlinked sixth form block.

The new five-storey school building provides spacious modern classrooms, equipped with the latest technology.

And the design maximises the limited space available on a constrained urban site to provide a pupil-focused learning environment.

Ewen Hunter, construction director at BAM, said: “We are delighted to have completed the design and construction of the new North Brent School on behalf of the Department for Education and the Wembley Multi-Academy Trust.

“The school’s relocation to this exciting new facility will provide the pupils and staff with a modern and sustainable new learning space and adds to our portfolio of successful education schemes, both in London and across the UK and Ireland, which are creating modern learning environments that will inspire pupils for many years to come.”

Facilities include science laboratories, a library, sports hall, main hall, and sixth form common room.

And the roof of the sixth-form block houses a multi-use games area (MUGA), optimising the space available on site.

BAM was appointed to deliver the scheme by the Department for Education (DfE)

under its National Education Framework.

The building was designed with bright cladding and an articulated façade to create an inspiring learning environment.

The entrance is marked by a distinctive

weeping willow tree, which was retained on the site, with the school layout designed around it. Rooftop solar panels will contribute to the school’s overall energy efficiency credentials.

Government takeover to speed up delayed school project The Government has taken over responsibility for delivering a longawaited new school in Dunmow, Essex, following years of delays.

Essex County Council (ECC) had initially planned for the new school to be ready by September 2021 as part of wider plans to provide extra primary provision for the rapidly-growing town.

However, planning permission for the development will lapse in April, prompting the move from central government to take over the project.

Work is set to start on the site, located off Stortford Road, before the April expiry date, with a sub-base for the sub-station building being erected on the corner of the property.

While a small part of the building work, it is hoped the move will kickstart the scheme.

8 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

However, it is not clear when construction of the main school building will begin.

Once complete, it will be home to Helena Romanes Primary (HRP), which is currently operating from temporary classrooms, but is hoping to move to the new school in September 2025.

ECC has said that without a new primary school, and the expansion of HRS as an all-through school — primary through to secondary — there is currently no way to provide local school places for children in the town.

The Government has also now applied to reword conditions relating to tree retention, biodiversity, archaeology, construction management, and water drainage on the site.

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News

Expansion work creates additional space Work has started on a major upgrade to Burlington Junior School in New Malden, south west London.

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to deliver the project, which will add 120 additional pupil places.

Procured through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), the multiphased project will enable the continued delivery of high-quality education in a more-modern and sustainable environment by refurbishing the existing Victorian building and constructing a new 2,800sq m structure.

The three-storey building will feature a sports hall and 15 high-specification teaching rooms.

Contracted works will also see the development of two multi-use games areas (MUGA), hard and soft landscaping, and the demolition of a 1970s CLASP building, which will be replaced by a 60-space car park for the benefit of both the junior and infant and nursery schools.

As part of the works, several toilet areas will be refurbished at the neighbouring Burlington Infant School and Morgan Sindall will install

72 photovoltaic (PV) panels across the site to support the project’s aims of achieving an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM sustainability rating.

In line with the tier one contractor’s Intelligent Solutions approach, it will be utilising Hempcrete in the construction as an innovative method to reduce the school’s overall carbon footprint.

Hempcrete is a medium-density natural insulation material produced by wet-mixing hemp shiv with lime binder, with impressive thermal and sustainability properties.

Morgan Sindall is working alongside TPM studios (architects), Shockledge (structural), and Boon Brown (landscape architects) on

the development.

Richard Dobson, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction in London, said: “We are delighted to be starting work on this extensive upgrade project at Burlington Junior School, as we know it is going to deliver a wide variety of important benefits for those working, living, and learning in the area.

“Our collaborative relationship with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has been central to this development and we are looking forward to continuing to work with them at a time of real excitement and ambition across the borough.”

Robert Shankland, project manager at Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, added: “Delivering high-quality education and supporting opportunities for children and young people across the borough is one of our top priorities as we look to create a fairer Kingston.

“Providing the best facilities for that to take place is very important, and we are pleased to have experts like Morgan Sindall on board to help us create sustainable spaces that can help more of our children and young people to flourish.”

Consortium to deliver Bankside student homes scheme World-leading university, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), has confirmed the Bouygues UK/Equitix consortium as its preferred partner for the construction of 2,000 new student homes in the premium Bankside location.

The development arm of Bouygues UK — Linkcity — working in partnership with Equitix, will provide investment and develop plans for the build.

The new accommodation will be positioned in the iconic location of London’s Bankside, behind the Tate Modern art gallery, and will provide up to 2,000 new student rooms.

LSE is the first verified carbon-neutral university in the UK and, as such, sustainability will be a key consideration of the development.

Oliver Campbell, development director at Linkcity, said: “In line with LSE’s values, we will be putting climate and diversity at EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

the heart of this project in order to deliver a vibrant, sustainable, and truly-inclusive space for students coming to live and study at LSE from across the world.”

Hugh Crossley, chief executive of Equitix, added: “We look forward to coming together again to create what we believe will be a landmark campus for this world-renowned institution.

“We will aim to achieve multiple objectives, with sustainability at its core, a focus on student wellbeing, an appreciation of the institution’s history and its location at the very heart of London, and developing what will become a lasting legacy for generations.”

Construction work is expected to start on site in 2026, with completion earmarked for 2030, ready for students to move into at the start of the next academic year.

LSE will now work in conjunction with Bouygues UK and Equitix to select a design team and create proposals for a planning application to be submitted in early 2025.

Julian Robinson, LSE director of estates, said: “This new building will form a key part of the LSE brand and identity.

“We will be looking for an exemplary piece of civic architecture which is affordable for all LSE students, focuses on environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, and offers an outstanding student experience.”

Ian Spencer, director of residential and catering services at LSE, added: “Using their knowledge and experience and working alongside our colleagues in LSE estates, we are looking to create a firstclass building which offers bed spaces at affordable rents.

“The new hall will have dining facilities, enabling our student community to eat and socialise together, and working with the LSE Students Union, our residential life team will develop a residential life programme ensuring the hall has an excellent sense of community and develops ties with the local community in Bankside.”

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 9

Policy

In early years education, the report calls for simplification of the current funding system to better support low-income families and children with special educational needs.

Image: svklimkin from Pixabay

Education priorities for the General Election A new report explores the challenges facing the education sector and the policies that will be needed in order to assist political parties as they draw up their manifestos ahead of the General Election

T

he disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting waiting list crisis, NHS strikes, and over a decade of austerity, have left the education system in England facing a number of challenges in the years ahead.

But, with a general election anticipated later this year, there is a genuine risk that education will not secure the profile it requires given wider economic issues and demands on public services.

For the first time, the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has published a summary of the best evidence on current education challenges and effective policy interventions in order to assist political parties in drawing up their manifesto pledges on education.

In the report foreword, Natalie Perera, chief executive of the EPI, said: “The forthcoming General Election provides a crucial opportunity for political parties to set out their priorities for government.

COMPETING DEMANDS “In the aftermath of over a decade of austerity and after a global pandemic, it is highly likely that the funding and functioning of public services, addressing the cost-of-living 10 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

crisis, and improving the economy, will all be competing against one another.

“These competing priorities present a genuine risk that education will not be given the focus or resource it needs.

“We are in the midst of a teacher recruitment and retention shortage; education funding has experienced a decade of real-term cuts; and the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers continues to widen.

“This report sets out the key education challenges that any incoming government will need to tackle if they are serious about improving outcomes and reducing inequalities.

“In putting forward recommendations, it draws on the best available evidence as well as insights from a network of leading experts from the early years to higher education.”

ESTATES SPENDING In particular, the report claims that underinvestment in the school and college estate has had a significant negative impact.

Between 2016-17 and 2022-23 the Department for Education (DfE) distributed an average of £2.3bn a year in capital funding for school rebuilding,

maintenance, and repair, according to the report.

And HM Treasury has allocated capital funding for 2021-25 amounting to £3.1bn a year, well below the amount that DfE proposed was needed to maintain schools and mitigate the most serious risks of building failure.

To address this, among its recommendations, the report calls for an increase per pupil in revenue funding, funded, in part, by the expected fall in pupil numbers, and an increase in capital expenditure.

THE FULL LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS EARLY YEARS • Simplifying the funding system and weighting it more heavily towards children from low-income families and children with special educational needs • Publishinging and implementing an early years strategy that will create a sustainable model for providers that is also affordable for families, including rolling out the Family Hub model in England EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Policy SCHOOLS • Tackling widening gaps in pupil attainment between vulnerable learners and their peers • Reforming the current accountability framework to ensure it is not adversely impacting education • Clarifying the role of local authorities within the now predominantlyacademised school system • Providing mental health support throughout schools POST-16 AND HIGHER EDUCATION • Heightening incentives to encourage greater numbers of young people to pursue apprenticeships and carrying out a broader review of post-16 qualifications • Increasing the financial sustainability of institutions in the higher education sector and create a progressive student finance model that better supports students from more-disadvantaged backgrounds • Introducing maintenance support for adults seeking to re-skill SCHOOL AND COLLEGE FUNDING • Increasing per pupil funding, ensuring capital expenditure is sufficient to maintain and improve the school and college estate, and better supporting schools to deliver their wider roles,

Capital expenditure should be sufficient to maintain and improve the school and college estate, according to the report.

Image: Rudolf Hein from Pixabay

particularly in disadvantaged areas • Ensuring funding is targeted at closing the disadvantage gap, through increasing the pupil premium and directing additional funding towards persistently disadvantaged pupils • Extending pupil premium funding to cover pupils with child protection plans and relevant students in post-16 education, and addressing relatively low funding for 16-19 education more broadly • Reforming high-needs funding,

increasing funding amounts, and amending the formula to better reflect current needs

THE EDUCATION WORKFORCE • Establishing greater parity between teacher pay and salaries found in competitor occupations • Supporting retention through a focus on improving teacher wellbeing, workload, and flexible working arrangements • Recognising the benefits of high-quality CPD and supporting its delivery. n

The challenges facing HE estates managers

The Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE) has published its Higher Education Estates Management Report, with the energy crisis among the key concerns as well as calls for improvements in data reporting.

Released in November, the report uses data from August 2021 to July 2022 and paints a picture of a year dominated by energy price rises, which EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

increased by 43% across the education sector.

And it reveals that the likely cost of reaching carbon net zero across the higher education estate will be a ‘frightening’ £40bn.

The RAAC crisis — which is said to affect a sixth of all AUDE member universities — and the rising backlog maintenance bill are also highlighted as major challenges, with calls for increased capital funding from

the Government.

And it states that, while in Scotland and Wales it remains mandatory to make an annual data return, that is not the case in England and Northern Ireland, adding: “AUDE has continued to advocate for member universities in England and Northern Ireland to make an annual data return because we believe that a national data picture is invaluable.

“While Jisc leads a review of

the sector’s data needs in light of the fact that the return is no longer mandatory, we hold our position: when it comes to the next round of data collection, please submit as full a return as you can.

“No time is the right time for the sector to lose its ability to identify key trends, and we all understand the criticality of EMR data in benchmarking and assessing the performance of all aspects of the HE estate.”

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 11

Policy

Focus on early years education T I am determined that new investment he Labour Party plans to carry out a major review of early years education, including looking at ways to widen ‘childcare eligibility’ and increase school-based nursery provision, if it wins the next election.

The shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, outlined Labour’s priorities for early years and education at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

And she announced that Sir David Bell, former chief inspector of schools at Ofsted, would be chosen to lead the review to shape a ‘modern childcare system’.

The review by Sir David, who has also held the role of permanent secretary at the Department for Education, would cover the following areas: • Development of a plan to widen childcare eligibility promised by the Conservatives at the 2023 Budget • Ways to increase the amount of primary school-based early years provision due to falling birth rates • How to remove restrictions on local authorities from opening nursery provision • The childcare and early years workforce 12 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

in childcare comes with ambitious reform to drive up standards for our youngest children and the amazing people who teach them Phillipson said: “Our ambition starts, as education starts, at the beginning of all our lives: our childcare system must be about life chances for children, as well as work choices for parents.

“That is why I am determined that new investment in childcare comes with ambitious reform, to ensure early education is available in every corner of our country, for every family and every child, to drive up standards for our youngest children and for the amazing people who support and

teach them.”

The Early Years Alliance said it welcomed the plans, but added that for the review to have ‘genuine, long-lasting impact, those working in early years settings would need to play a key role in driving its direction and area of focus’.

And the National Education Union (NEU) warned that Labour would need to ‘grapple with the funding issues and put nursery schools on a sure footing’ to achieve its goals. n EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Finance and Property Deals

Refinancing – Mind the gap Morgan Allen, a partner at Gerald Eve, looks at the key trends in real estate financing and considerations for raising finance on educational assets

B

ursars and finance directors with a refinance due within the next couple of years should start looking at options as soon as possible.

Between 2019-2022 it is estimated that c€640bn of real estate debt was originated.

And research suggests that, based on current interest rates and capital values, approximately €176bn will not be refinanceable.

This refinance gap may reduce if interest rates begin to fall and we see a recovery in capital values. However, it is likely that a substantial refinancing gap would still remain.

THE RISE OF DEFAULTS Several properties owned by asset managers have already defaulted on their payments 14 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

over the last year, including Blackstone, Brookfield, Pimco, and RXR. Blackstone defaulted on a $531m bond backed by a portfolio of offices leased by Finnish company, Sponda Oy, in March 2023; while Pimco-owned office landlord, Columbia Property Trust, defaulted on $1.7bn of mortgage notes.

With over €100bn of commercial loans maturing in 2024 in the UK, Germany, and France, and approximately €350bn across Europe, the market is predicting stress in what could be a difficult year for refinancing higher-leveraged facilities.

INTEREST RATES In 2023, all-in borrowing costs reached a 20-year high. But there is hope that the interest rate raising cycle is at its peak, with

the Bank of England holding rates over the last three monthly meetings (as at the time of writing). However, the narrative is that rates will remain higher for longer and we should not expect a rapid reduction in rates during 2024.

We have seen downward movement on UK Swap Rates with the five-year SWAP trading at 3.586% (as at 10 January 2024) which is circa 0.5% lower than this point in December 2023, and the forward SONIA curve has a downward trend falling to below 3% in July 2026 (based on current estimates).

This falling cost of debt should hopefully ease the pressure on borrower income covenants, as well as helping to underpin commercial real estate values.

We predict lenders will continue to supply new debt to the education sector, EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Finance and Property Deals

Image: Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

but that loan-to-value ratios (LTVs) will be lower than previously, at say 50-55%, driven by ensuring interest cover and debt yields remain strong.

Lower LTVs are likely to cause problems for those needing to refinance facilities with higher leverage over this level.

In short, due to the combination of successive interest rate hikes and lowered LTVs, it will now cost schools and nurseries more money to borrow less money.

Lenders are also paying far greater attention to interest cover ratios than ever before; and they will want to see that interest is more than amply covered by the trading activity.

We expect lenders and investors to undertake more-robust stress testing on debt and finance facilities.

EDUCATION AND EARLY YEARS FINANCE Funding for the education and early years sectors was traditionally the preserve of the UK clearing banks.

The education sector has historically been highly fragmented in terms of ownership, with only a small number of larger groups.

More recently, we have seen rapid consolidation with many well-funded groups rapidly aggregating portfolios.

This has, in turn, led to a number of new EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

When looking at new development/investment facilities it is vital to obtain a broad market view as there are a range of products and solutions; it is not a one size fits all lenders entering the market, attracted by the strong cash flows that can be generated and the general operational resilience (despite some bumps along the way) of the education sector which we saw during COVID. This increased lending appetite into the education sector brings new opportunities to those seeking finance for their nursery, school, or larger portfolio of education property assets.

And we now regularly see the challenger banks and new-to-market banks offering debt terms on new transactions.

Furthermore, the growth in the specialist debt fund market has also meant non-bank lenders are keen to participate in the sector.

In addition, we have seen investment funds enter the market to build groups or portfolios of assets in both the operational

sector and as landlords of freeholds granting leases.

In our view, during 2024, lenders will continue to offer finance in the education asset class as it is seen as a defensive sector with strong cash flows and good levels of market transactions, showing there is still good liquidity in the sector.

That said, there remains a nervousness around the impact of VAT on the affordability of tuition fees should Labour gain control in a General Election (which is looking increasingly likely) and seek to make good on this element of their manifesto.

We predict that the stronger-performing schools which make a healthy surplus will survive, and that the impact of VAT on school fees will hit the weaker/smaller FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 15

Finance and Property Deals

schools the hardest.

And we expect this will further drive consolidation in the market, with more charity mergers and struggling schools being bought by the for-profit groups.

We predict prudent bursars and finance directors will have stress tested their forecast cashflows to reflect potential falls in enrolment if/when VAT is applied to tuition fees in order to plan mitigation strategies, and that lenders will want to see plans in place to ensure interest cover ratios are maintained if there is a dip in revenue.

The nursery sector is facing a different set of challenges, the biggest of which is the national labour shortage.

The new funding for childcare places which is being brought in is expected to drive enquiries and, in turn, increased occupancy levels.

It is not yet known, however, what the impact will be on nurseries’ trading performance.

Whereas we fully expect the office and retail sectors to face strong headwinds in 2024, our view is that the education sector, alongside living (residential, care and student), and industrial/distribution will continue to be areas of focus for lenders.

VALUES Previously, (over 10 years ago at least) the clearing banks would typically lend on the vacant possession (also referred to as the 16 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

‘bricks and mortar’) value of education property when taking security.

More recently, lenders have measured the loan against the value (the LTV ratio) of the value of the property ‘as a fully-equipped trading entity’.

Some lenders do not have any appetite for leasehold assets at all, or perhaps only if the leaseholds form part of a larger portfolio containing more freeholds.

We predict that some lenders will pay greater regard to the market value assuming a ‘restricted sale period’ (i.e. the school is in distress and it is marketed in a shorter time frame).

This figure is generally lower than the value as a fully-equipped trading entity (i.e. no special assumptions on a marketing period).

Back in the day, this would have been called a ‘forced sale’, a term which is no longer used.

Discussing potential insolvency scenarios sounds very bleak indeed! But it is not meant to be.

Essentially, the lender will want to know that the loan can be recovered, even in the event that loan covenants are breached. In our experience, it is somewhat rare for a lender to take possession of a school, as they generally want to avoid any reputational damage which might ensue if the care and education of children is interrupted.

KEY TRENDS FOR 2024 If you have a refinance during 2024, ensure you engage early with your lender to understand their appetite and requirements.

And seek advice from real estate debt specialists to give you a broad market view.

When looking at new development/ investment facilities it is even more vital to obtain a broad market view, as there are a range of products and solutions which may meet your needs; it is not one size fits all.

If you have concerns on meeting your loan covenants, seek advice from a real estate debt specialist and your lawyer on your options and how best to negotiate.

In our view, Loan to Value covenants will remain below trend during 2024 with 50-55% LTV being the ‘new normal’ for investment finance, but we are still seeing higher leverage for development debt.

If there’s a gap to fill in your refinance, then a partial capital raise via a ground lease sale alongside senior debt could offer a solution. n ABOUT THE AUTHOR Morgan Allen is a partner at Gerald Eve, specialising in valuing education property for loan security purposes in addition to valuations for other purposes and agency.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Finance and Property Deals

Giving something back Matt Small, director of T150 Energy, reveals his plans to pass energy savings onto clients in the education sector

I am well aware of how woefully underfunded these sectors are and as I work with operators I really wanted to give something back.

Matt Small, director of T150 Energy

A

n energy broker is offering education estate operators the chance to recoup some of their gas and electricity costs as part of an innovative new ‘payback’ scheme.

Matt Small, director of T150 Energy, has revealed plans to launch the initiative, providing nurseries, schools, and other education clients with between 0.2-3.5% of their energy savings back.

Matt explains: “Education operators could receive between 0.2%-3.5% of their annual gas and electricity costs, depending on a number of factors.

“Now, I appreciate that 0.2% as a minimum does not sound like a lot.

However, if you consider the average educational establishment may use 100,000 kWh — and I think this is conservative — per year on electricity alone; collectively this means we could put a lot of money back into the industry.

“For example, there were 27,000 nurseries registered with Ofsted as of 31 August 2022. Based on the average usage of 100,000 kWh per year, this gives an average use of electricity alone of 1,670,000,000 kWh per year.

“If we could get even 1% of this number onto our payback scheme this could be EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

between £17,000-£244,237.50 going back into UK nurseries on an annual basis; and that’s just the electricity and just for nurseries. Spread this across the whole of the education estate — around 32,163 schools — and the figure could be huge.

“Based on the above figures, gas could put between £17,000-£146,542.5 in payback as well.

“And, if clients have charitable status, the payback amount could be given as a charitable donation and would, therefore, not be taxable. It’s a win-win situation!”

Staffordshire-based T150 Energy launched in 2019, shortly before the Coronavirus outbreak, and works across a number of sectors, from care homes and educational institutions to hospitality and manufacturing businesses.

Coming from a background in telecoms and a career in the Armed Forces, Matt brokers energy deals between businesses and some of the top energy providers — including British Gas, Opus Energy, YGP, engie, Dual Energy, npower, Scottish Gas, SSE, and Gazprom.

And, with energy prices continuing to

soar, and the education sector feeling the pinch, he is keen to give something back.

Matt said: “I work with partners who bring me business and I pay them commission for bringing me their clients, so I thought why don’t I do the same for the education sector?

“The following day I looked at a few figures and started doing the maths.

“My goal for this year is to put back £1m to businesses and the only way I can do this is by being put in front of the right people.

“I want to start giving back more than hopefully savings on their existing rates — I want to give them part of the money we make as a business.

“I am well aware of how woefully underfunded these sectors are and as I work with operators I really wanted to give something back.

“I want people to want to work with me because, 1. I’m great to work with, and 2.

Because, where possible, I will give them something back.” n For more information on the payback scheme, go to www.paybackscheme.co.uk.

Businesses could be paid back up to 3.5% of their annual energy costs Energy Usage per year (KWH)

Approximate Annual spend

Potential ‘Pay Back’ from T150 Energy Ltd

50,000

£13,322.33

£438.75

100,000

£26,423.98

£877.50

300,000

£78,830.58

£2,632.50

500,000

£131,237.18

£4,387.50

1,000,000

£262,253.68

£8,775.00

10,000,000

£2,620,550.68

£87,750.00 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 17

Finance and Property Deals

The future of PFI

THE STATE OF PLAY There are currently 172 schools PFI schemes still operational in England, with a varying number of schools within each scheme, but all including the delivery of hard FM maintenance and lifecycle services. Most also include soft FM services such as grounds maintenance, security, cleaning, and catering.

Most of these schools contracts were signed between 1997-2010 when the coalition government cancelled the national Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF).

A new model of PFI called PF2 was introduced in 2012. Under that model the DfE’s Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) signed five further programmes nationwide in 2013/14, before the Government announced it would no longer support the PFI model in October 2018.

Now local authorities and other public sector organisations which have operational PFIs need to begin planning for the future, ensuring their estate is handed over in the required condition and either finding the in-house expertise to take over operations, or opting for a new public/ private model.

complexity involved in managing the end of PFI contracts.

And, in its 2022 report, the IPA’s deputy chief executive, Matthew Vickerstaff, said: “The expiry phase of PFI contracts, including asset handback and the transition to future services provision, presents additional risks, including potential operational disruption, lack of service continuity, financial loss, and reputational damage.

“The effective management of the expiry process is therefore of particular importance.”

The report adds: “The IPA expects that senior leaders will commence planning for PFI expiry at least seven years prior to the contract end.

“Early, but cost-effective steps will need to be taken to increase awareness and active management of the contract in advance of expiry, understand the assets, systems, and people involved in the exit and transition process, build supportive relationships with other parties, and obtain information from the PFI project needed to shape and plan the future provision of services.

“Significant risks will need to be managed, diverse expertise and resources will need to be applied, and additional budgets will likely need to be made available.

“What is certain is that the whole expiry process will require more, and different, senior management support than is currently being provided to the PFI project.”

THE CHALLENGE The National Audit Office (NAO) found in its June 2020 report on PFI contract expiry that public sector bodies risk underestimating the time, resources, and

THE NEXT STEPS The IPA guidance is supplemented by an expiry toolkit, which provides additional tools and materials to support authorities in managing expiry.

Educational bodies operating PFI-funded estates are being urged to act ‘before it is too late’ as the controversial contracts near the end of their lifespan

T

he Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s (IPA) 2022 report, Preparing for PFI Contract Expiry, recommended that public sector bodies with a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract start taking steps at least seven years prior to contract expiry.

Government figures show 694 PFI projects in operation across the country having an initial total capital investment value of £54.7bn.

And that means hundreds of organisations will need to take action to prepare for handback and decide how they will fund and operate their estate moving forward.

In particular, as many Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts also included the delivery of various facilities management (FM) services, there will also need to be decisions made on how these will be provided in the future.

The long-term contracts — which typically spanned a period of 25 years, but sometimes 30 years or even longer — were signed between public sector bodies and a private sector consortium, typically through a special purpose project company, and meant the private sector designed, built, financed, and operated the asset and provided related services.

Under the contracts, the private sector bears the risks associated with construction and maintenance and overall management responsibility, and its remuneration is linked to performance.

18 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

What is certain is that the whole expiry process will require more, and different, senior management support than is currently being provided to the PFI project

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Finance and Property Deals So what is next for these PFI schools?

Speaking to Education Property, Ioan Davies, legal director and PFI specialist in international law firm, DAC Beachcroft’s infrastructure and projects team, explained: “The message is, if you are coming up to seven years from expiry, then — if you don’t have a good handle already — now is the time to start looking at how well run your contract is.

“You also need to ask whether senior managers are familiar with both the expiry process and the need to have a strategy for what comes next.

“Maybe, because of staff turnover etc, an organisation’s corporate memory is not that familiar with what is a complex arrangement, especially trying to get to grips with contract conditions which may have been altered or superseded, often several times, over the years.

“The education sector is no different to others and over the years we have seen a mix in terms of successful contract management. A lot of that is down to the resource applied to the project.

“Having recently looked at several early PFI contracts, many may not be that sophisticated or specific about what the expiry and handback requirements are, especially when compared to the provisions seen in more-modern contracts such as on BSF and PSBP schemes.”

FIT FOR PURPOSE Central to the handback will be clarity as to the required condition of the buildings and the respective rights and responsibilities of the parties under the PFI contract.

Davies said: “Organisations will struggle to make strategic plans for taking these buildings back unless they know what condition they are currently in and what condition their contract says they are meant to be in to be fit for purpose at expiry.”

But, threatening to hamper this process, are the sometimes frosty relationships that have grown over time between some organisations and their PFI provider.

Davies said: “We have unfortunately seen a breaking down of that relationship on some schemes, and a number of schemes are considering the ‘reset’ approach recommended in the recent IPA-commissioned White Fraiser Report, with a view to restoring the relationship between the parties and, in turn, improving the performance of their PFI contract now, rather than waiting until the contract is due to expire.

“It provides for the carrying out of an audit of the PFI contract, by way of surveys, and then gives the PFI provider a period within which to rectify any issues identified EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Ioan Davies

Jonathan Bond

The challenge for education providers will be how ongoing school maintenance programmes dovetail with the additional impact of managing and maintaining buildings when PFI contracts are handed back as part of the wider school estate without threat of being penalised under the contract for non-compliance.”

Moving forward, Davies predicts there will continue to be a public/private approach to delivering and maintaining the education estate.

He said: “The million dollar question is what comes next once a PFI contract has expired?

“There has been a lot of academisation within the national primary and secondary school estate since 2010 and, even though the PFI contract is still formally with the local authority, a lot of PFI school buildings are now occupied and run by multiacademy trusts.

OPPORTUNITIES “So, what comes next will be down to them and that might be, in the short term at least, integrating within existing FM service delivery contracts serving their other academies.

“If you are a local authority, especially one with a grouped schools contract coming to its end, do you have an in-house direct delivery provider which can take it on — including the staff that would transfer — or might the procurement of a new facilities

management contract be attractive?

“Certainly, we think there will be an appetite within the private sector to continue to provide FM services — however configured — to the schools and academies sector.

“In terms of building new schools, as well as the DfE’s current programmes, in Wales there is the Mutual Investment Model (MIM), which has a risk profile that is very similar to PFI. So, might we even see something similar to that as an option promoted by the centre moving forward?”

Jonathan Bond, a fellow legal director at DAC Beachcroft and a construction specialist with particular knowledge of the schools sector, added: “The challenge for education providers will be how ongoing school maintenance programmes dovetail with the additional impact of managing and maintaining buildings when PFI contracts are handed back as part of the wider school estate.

“The priority is getting on top of the current contracts and making sure the estate is handed back in the right condition and that schools are clear on what happens next.” n FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 19

Market Analysis

Image: Latupeirissa, Pixabay

Industry in drive for green metrics Architects and contractors are increasingly using technology to calculate the environmental impact of projects, according to a new report from NBS.

N

BS’s 2023 Digital Construction Report reveals a major drive for green metrics among contractors and designers, with two thirds of professionals using technology to calculate environmental metrics, a sign that sustainable design is now intrinsic to construction processes.

Significantly, 40% use digital methods to understand the embodied carbon attached to a project — that is, the amount of CO2 emitted during construction.

The study also found that 38% digitally analyse energy demands as part of the building process and over half have used offsite construction methods in the past 12 months, rising by 7% since 2021.

20 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

OFFSITE ON THE UP Delving deeper, manufacturers are the group most likely to be involved with modern methods of construction (MMC) — with 70% having worked with an offsite element, followed by nearly two thirds of contractors (63%), and over half of consultants (58%).

This increase could reflect an industry drive towards net zero as well as recent government backing for further standardisation within MMC. LIVING IN THE CLOUD The report also found that cloud computing is becoming further embedded within building practices, with four out of five now using it.

Despite headlines that MMC isn’t a popular choice, the results show a different story: more professionals are embracing it than ever before

The statistics highlight the positive way technology is supporting collaborative working, with three quarters using it to share documents and information with clients (77%). A similar number (74%) use it to collaborate with team members and produce 3D models, specifications, and other important documents.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Market Analysis

The uptick in professionals seeking environmentalrelated metrics shows an industry putting sustainability front and centre

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY NBS’s Digital Construction Report also highlighted increases in the number of professionals following naming conventions when sharing information (77%, up from 2021 figures) — an area that can improve the organisation and management of data.

Additionally, over half of respondents reported using interoperable formats like IFC, revealing the growing importance of easily-shareable construction data.

However, the report also showed there are more opportunities still to be unlocked by using digital technologies to help with compliance.

The study found that only a third of respondents (34%) were involved with detailed responsibility matrixes (DRM), a process that sets out responsibility for each element of design to ensure greater accountability.

Worryingly, this figure has dropped since 2021 (39%).

However, this figure hovered at around half for architects and comes despite increased levels of legislation attached to the Building Safety Act, such as the introduction of planning ‘gateways’, which require a detailed breakdown of responsibilities on an individual level.

Additionally, less than a third of suppliers (28%) currently use a PIM system to manage product information, pointing to information gaps in the construction supply chain.

Nevertheless, well over half (56%) provide digital objects for the majority, or all, of their products.

Commenting on the survey’s results, David Bain, NBS’s research manager, said: “The uptick in professionals seeking environmental-related metrics shows an industry putting sustainability front EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

and centre.

“The drive towards net zero has no doubt been a catalyst alongside the evolving legislative landscape and there has never been a greater emphasis on the environmental impact of building practices.

“The study has also yielded unexpectedlypositive stats around offsite construction.

“Despite media headlines and highprofile factory closures giving the impression that MMC isn’t a popular choice, the results show a different story: more professionals are embracing offsite elements than ever before.

“Overall, we’ve seen some marked

improvements that the industry should be proud of.

“There is an opportunity here to improve digital information sharing, for which professionals have a legal requirement.

“The ‘golden thread’ and the use of structured data is creating a safer future for all.” n 723 construction professionals took part in this year’s Digital Construction Survey, which included views from architects/engineers and other consultants, contractors, clients, and suppliers in the UK and beyond. Previously known as the NBS BIM Report, the study is a benchmark for changing attitudes towards technology adoption and new technologies.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 21

Market Analysis

Image: Jürgen Rübig, Pixabay

Bucking the trend A new report lifts the lid on the education construction sector, predicting a year of two halves for the industry

E

ducation was the only sector to see a growth in construction activity in 2023, with a further increase expected in 2024, despite delays to publicsector programmes expected as a result of the pending General Election.

Glenigan’s newly-published Construction Industry Forecast 2024-2025 reveals that the strong performance in 2023 will continue into 2024, with investment in school buildings and further education facilities set to increase.

However, it warns that education capital funding will be disrupted post-election as priorities are reviewed.

STATE OF THE SECTOR The report shows that the number of secondary school pupils has increased steadily over the past seven years, with a projected 17% (or 462,000) increase in 22 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

pupil numbers since 2016, according to the Department of Education (DfE).

Pupil growth was greatest in London and the South East and local authorities which have been slow to address the potential shortfall in secondary school capacity now appear to be securing increased investment.

School buildings were the largest and fastest-growing area within the education sector during 2023, with the value of school building project starts estimated to have grown by 24%.

Further education starts have also increased sharply this year, rising by an estimated 22%.

And the rise in school and further education projects has been supported by an increase in government capital funding.

The report states: “Following a shortfall in capital spending during the last financial year, unspent Department for Education

capital funding was rolled forward into the current financial year.

“Planned departmental capital spending for 2023-24 is around £7bn, a 28% increase in real terms compared to 2022-23.”

University budgets have been under particular pressure in recent years due to a cap on income per UK-resident student and disruptions to income from overseas students caused by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sharp rise in inflation over the last two years has further exacerbated the budgetary squeeze.

The report shows that the value of university project starts fell for four consecutive years to 2022, declining by 66% from a 2018 peak to £596m.

After this prolonged decline, university starts stabilised in 2023, edging 4% higher than the previous year.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Market Analysis

Overall education starts are expected to climb by 13% next year, buoyed by increased government funding for school and further education projects.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE According to the report, 2024 will be a game of two halves — with an increase in activity happening against the backdrop of an anticipated General Election.

Overall, an 18% rise in school project starts is forecast, with the Government committed to rebuilding 500 schools over this decade.

Additional spending is also anticipated to address the risk of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) failure at existing schools.

The report states: “A partial recovery in university starts is anticipated over the next two years.

“Universities should benefit from a progressive rise in the number of 18-23 year olds in the UK population over the next five years.

“Universities have already seen an uplift in student numbers, with the overall number of students at UK universities rising by 4% in 2021/22, including a 24% increase in higher-fee-paying non-EU overseas students.

“Further growth in the student population will require renewed, if selective, investment in the university estate and this is expected to underpin an increase in university projects in 2024 and 2025.

“Overall education starts are expected to climb by 13% next year, buoyed by increased government funding for school and further education projects.

“However, starts are forecast to slip back by 17% in 2025 as central government funding programmes are reviewed and disrupted post-election.”

According to Glenigan’s latest monthly EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Construction Review, published in January, Scotland was the most-active region in the country for education project starts in the last three months of 2023, accounting for a 19% share to total £148m, double the previous year’s levels.

And the East of England accounted for 15% of activity, increasing 62% against the previous year to total £118m.

THE KEY PLAYERS During 2023, league tables show the top five contractors within the education construction market were Kier (26 projects

worth £523m), Morgan Sindall (65 projects worth £492m), Royal BAM (16 projects worth £488m), Willmott Dixon (21 projects worth £333m), and Bowmer & Kirkland (22 projects worth £321m).

The main clients were the Department for Education (223 projects worth £1.19bn), Sheffield Hallam University (one project worth £100m), the University of Edinburgh (seven projects worth £90m), Education Authority Northern Ireland (16 projects worth £87m), and Fife Council (one project worth £80m). n

Source: https://www.glenigan.com/market-analysis/reports/ FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 23

Market Analysis

We can’t continue to sit idly as the construction industry continues to be exploited for its services through late and often under payments.

Late payments lead to rise in insolvencies Recent survey data conducted across UK construction industry professionals has lifted the lid on the dire state the industry is now in as a result of a late payment culture.

W

ith an overwhelming majority (74%) of respondents confirming that their financial wellbeing had been affected as a result of late payments — it is clear to see why the health of the industry is slowly deteriorating.

And, in a year in which insolvency levels across the industry occurred at the fastest rate in a decade, urgent action is required to safeguard the future of the industry, according to Construction News survey.

Commenting on the findings, Lynne Darcey, founder and chief executive of cloud-based credit management platform, Know-it, said: “Business is tough for everyone right now and the last thing business leaders need is additional pressures placed upon the health of their cash flow.

“The construction industry is an integral cog within our economy and if figures continue to read so poorly, then we are running the risk of causing irreversible damage to the sector.

“At the moment, the overwhelming majority (69%) of construction contractors 24 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

are waiting up to 60 days to be paid following an invoice being issued.

KNOCK-ON EFFECTS “To compound this issue further, 42% of contractors said that they experience clients requesting discount rates on services once a project is underway.

“There seems to be a lack of consideration from most construction clients that these actions when it comes to late payments or demanding cut-price costs have knock-on effects to the industry as a whole.

“An industry which is regularly operating up to two months without being paid, and constantly pressured into providing unsustainably-low-cost services, is going to end in a rising number of contractors closing down for good.”

Half of respondents also reported that half of their invoices had been underpaid compared to what was initially agreed upon with the client.

“Following the economic battering of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry,

the worsening late payment culture surrounding construction could not be spiralling at a worst time,” said Darcey.

TAKING CONTROL “UK construction firms can no longer be viewed as a form of cheap labour or credit line in the eyes of their clients.

“It is now time for the industry to regain control of how it operates, and cash flow has to be at the forefront.”

And she said technology would play a key role, adding: “With little help coming from the Government, the construction industry should now consult technology and see first hand the control and oversight they need to ensure firms are paid on time in comparison to manual processes.

“The latest solutions are now readily available to ensure construction firms are able to credit check, chase, and collect overdue payments all from one place.

“Being able to identify and take action against any holes you may have in a business’ credit control process is just the first step towards building a healthier cash flow and stem the rising insolvency figures across the industry.”

And she concludes: “We can’t continue to sit idly as the construction industry continues to be exploited for its services through late and often under payments.

“The huge contributions it makes to our economy each year and the jobs it creates for so many families mean that it is too valuable to watch crash and burn.

“Thankfully for construction, technology is now readily available to turn the tide on this sentiment we are currently seeing and can hopefully help create a moretransparent and compliant sector to operate within.” n EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Market Analysis

Image: Souad Naji from Pixabay

Education real estate market Christie & Co’s new Business Outlook 2024 report reveals the opportunities and challenges within the education real estate sector

I

ndependent schools which have historically been the subject of strong investment remain well placed to weather the storm of the cost-of-living crisis, with high inflation and interest rates, and there has been a continued recovery of international student numbers, which is a positive development for the sector.

However, for smaller independent schools struggling to maintain occupancy levels, there was financial distress in 2023, which, in some cases, resulted in closures, and the sector is braced for 20% VAT to be imposed if the Labour Party wins at the next general election.

These trends are outlined in Christie & Co’s new Business Outlook 2024 report, which reflects on the themes, activity, and EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

During 2023 the market remained buoyant, with demand from buyers for high-quality SEND businesses showing no signs of abating challenges of 2023 and forecasts what 2024 might bring for the education sector.

And it reveals that while the outlook for independent education remains broadly stable, subject to current political policies prevailing, a crucial factor in their success

is in the investment and maintenance of the properties to continue to make them attractive to pupils and prospective parents.

As part of its annual sentiment survey, the company surveyed childcare and education professionals across the country to gather FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 25

Market Analysis

There is a moreoptimistic feeling around the 2024 market as we are already witnessing a healthy appetite and demand for highquality assets “While the year saw a number of notable transactions, overall market activity for operational assets remained relatively subdued for schools with smaller student capacities.

“The differential between schools that are doing well, and those that are financially struggling, appeared to widen further throughout the year and we continued to see long-established schools having to make difficult closure decisions.

“Where school mergers or takeovers were not possible due to financial sustainability challenges, there was no shortage of buyers for those schools when being sold with vacant possession, with the greatest demand coming from SEND education providers and other types of buyers having regard to alternative uses.”

Image: SP3CialStock from Pixabay

their views on the year ahead.

Encouragingly, 44% of people said they are positive about the year ahead — an 11% rise on survey figures reported in the previous year — while just 14% feel negative.

When asked about their sale and acquisition plans in 2024, 71% said they are planning to buy and/or sell this year.

In 2023, Christie Finance witnessed a 26% rise in the number of childcare and education finance instructions, with a significant increase in leasehold operators seeking funding to purchase freehold premises, ultimately increasing the value of the business that can be utilised as a springboard to aid future expansion.

And, in 2024, Christie & Co expects: • Demand will remain for larger independent schools — those with capacity for over 1,000 students — 26 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

and ones that evidence strong trading performances • Further provincial schools will close, notably schools with smaller capacities in less-affluent areas • Mainstream independent schools may see a slight stagnation of market activity in the lead up to the general election as buyers proceed with caution amid a degree of uncertainty created by the Labour Party’s VAT on school fees pledge Courteney Donaldson, managing director of childcare and education at Christie & Co, said of the report: “2023 proved to be an exceptionally-busy year for our valuation and educational consultancy teams, with their expertise and services being called upon by a wide range of banks, lenders, and investors seeking formal advice for refinancing and secured lending purposes.

NURSERIES The demand for high-quality nursery settings nationwide, from single assets to larger groups, remained strong in 2023.

However, there is little doubt some of the challenges connected to the sector and the wider economy have impacted the market, according to the report.

Workforce-related challenges continued to prevail and, in some cases, stifled providers’ ability to operate at optimum levels, or grow their businesses and expand capacity.

And interest rate increases led to borrowing becoming more expensive, which created a challenge for new entrants taking their first steps into the sector and for existing operators wanting to expand.

Yet, despite the increased cost of capital, the UK day nursery market continued to move forward and, during 2023, Christie & Co brought 236 day nurseries to the market and reports strong buyer interest.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Market Analysis There was, however, a 27% decrease in the number of day nurseries sold in 2023 compared with 2022, with the average size being 72 places, compared with 67 places in 2022.

Forty four per cent of Christie & Co’s 2023 deals were to corporate/large groups, a 16% reduction on 2022 figures, and 32% were to independent buyers, a 20% increase on 2022 figures.

Nick Brown of Christie & Co said: “The sentiment at the start of 2023 was that the year was going to be challenging, which indeed it was, but the market moved forward despite this.

“Key challenges are sure to continue, but there is definitely a more-optimistic feeling around the 2024 market as we are already witnessing a healthy appetite and demand for high-quality assets across the country which has resulted in a strong pipeline of deals agreed already for the first quarter of 2024 and beyond.”

SEND SCHOOLS Since 2020 the SEND schools market has been particularly buoyant due to the growing demand for suitable settings that support the needs of children who are unable to access mainstream education.

This is supported by the Government’s pledge to increase core school funding by £3.5bn in 2023/24, of which almost £1bn will go towards high needs.

Nick Brown

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Courteney Donaldson

As a result, operators are keen to meet demand by establishing new SEND provisions across the UK. Donaldson said: “During 2023, the market remained incredibly buoyant, with

The differential between schools that are doing well, and those that are struggling, appeared to widen further throughout the year demand from buyers for high-quality operational SEND businesses showing no signs of abating.

“From an organic business development perspective, where we have seen mainstream independent school closures across the UK, there has been no shortage of SEND school providers stepping in to acquire those assets to invest, refurbish, and re-open them as dedicated SEND provisions.

“Looking ahead to 2024, against a backdrop of further anticipated funding scrutiny, we expect to see further growth in nationwide capacity. We also predict that buyer demand will remain strong.” n FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 27

Building Design

Matthew Randle, Principal, Winterstoke Academy

Net-zero school opens its doors Here, we look at the creation of North Somerset’s first net-zero school — Winterstoke Hundred Academy

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eston’s Winterstoke Hundred Academy has marked the new year by throwing open the doors to North Somerset’s first net-zero school.

Winterstoke Hundred first opened in Beaufighter Road in 2020, but work has been taking place over the past two years to build a 900-pupil second campus at Locking Parklands.

That work — carried out by contractor, Kier, to specifications set out by North Somerset Council and the Cabot Learning Federation, which Winterstoke Hundred is part of — is now complete, with students having moved into their new classrooms.

Designed by AHR and Hydrock, the three-storey building has been carefully designed to meet rigorous environmental standards — making it the first fullycarbon-neutral school in the area.

Solar panels covering the roof will generate electricity inside classrooms and send power to the National Grid, providing green energy for the school, as well as the wider community.

BIODIVERSITY The 80,000sq m building also boasts a much-sought BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for energy efficiency and 10% biodiversity net gain, which will protect and promote plants and wildlife.

Heidi Clement, Cabot Learning Federation head of projects and estates, said: “The expansion of Winterstoke Hundred Academy is a major development and a huge financial investment that further 28 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Building Design

enables our trust to meet the educational needs of young people and provide them with a fantastic environment to learn in.

“This project has been a four-year partnership between Keir, North Somerset Council, and AtkinsRéalis, and the buildings and finish look amazing and will leave a lasting legacy for all those involved.”

Tony Searle, executive principal of the Cabot Learning Federation, added: “We have worked tirelessly alongside our North Somerset Council partners to deliver an exceptional building on behalf of our community.

“With pupils now moving into the new buildings, we are excited about the educational opportunities that we will be able to afford our current cohort, and those who join the academy for decades to come.

“This investment in high-quality facilities and appointments reinforces our commitment to deliver the best-possible education for our students.”

SUSTAINABLE And Councillor Catherine Gibbons, deputy leader of North Somerset Council and executive member for children’s services, families, and life long learning, said: “Winterstoke Hundred Academy’s new building is designed to achieve some of the highest standards of sustainability, raising the bar for what can be delivered in our region.

“The quality of construction is clear just from looking at the school and we are immensely proud of what we have been able to accomplish alongside our partners at CLF and Kier.”

Funded through Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, the Winterstoke Hundred Academy expansion provides new school places and facilities, meeting the needs EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

of growing local communities.

And the opening coincided with a new principal taking up the reins at the school.

Matthew Randle has previously taught at large secondary schools in Leicestershire, Somerset, and Bristol.

Most recently, he held the position of vice principal with CLF Post 16 in Bristol, where he built significant experience in safeguarding and leading the quality of education.

He said of his new role: “I’ve been really looking forward to welcoming our students into the new building and starting to work with the local community.

“It’s an incredible building and we feel very lucky to be moving in to our second site.

“This is a significant investment in education in North Somerset which will enable us to build on our curriculum and really excel in many specialist areas as we work towards a full capacity.” n FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 29

Estates and Facilities Management

Deteriorating school buildings prompt urgent warnings A worrying new report lifts the lid on the challenges facing education estates

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lans to rebuild dilapidated and crumbling schools risk being ‘blown off track’ as the sector struggles with the RAAC crisis and a lack of basic information from the Department for Education (DfE), warns a report published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Released late last year, the paper warns that the school estate has deteriorated to the point where 700,000 pupils are learning in buildings which need major redevelopment or refurbishment, impacting their learning experiences and ultimately limiting their educational achievements.

And unacceptable numbers of pupils are learning in poorlymaintained or potentially-unsafe buildings, according to the committee’s findings.

The Government’s School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), which is behind its initial schedule for getting schools built, has considered upgrades to 1,200 schools with safety issues or which are in poor condition.

Five hundred schools in total will be selected, but many of the 100 schools still to be named will be chosen due to serious issues with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

Many other schools will therefore not get onto the SRP, even though longer-term assessments of their poor condition would lead to a conclusion that they should be rebuilt.

UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS A PAC spokesman said: “We are extremely concerned that DfE does not have a good enough understanding of the risks in school buildings to keep children and staff safe.

“Despite the PAC raising these as concerns for several years, the DfE was unable to tell the inquiry how many surveys to identify RAAC were outstanding, how many temporary classrooms had been provided to schools affected by RAAC, or say when RAAC issues would be addressed.

“There is a lack of certainty on support for schools affected by RAAC, and questions around both the reliability of the DfE’s information on the number and condition and schools affected, and the Government’s attitude to risk with regards to the school estate.”

The PAC is also calling for the DfE to work up a full picture of asbestos across the school estate.

The report found that, as at July 2023, the DfE was unsighted on asbestos in just over 4% of schools.

While this has fallen from 7% at May 2022, this still represents almost 1,000 sites.

And both RAAC and asbestos can be present in the same building, further complicating any works to tackle the issues.

Since 2011, around 11 teachers or ex-teachers have died from asbestos-related conditions each year, Health and Safety Executive data suggests.

The PAC report urges the Government to develop a package of support and good practice, targeted at helping mitigate the negative impact on pupils and teachers of schools that are in poor condition but cannot yet be fixed.

30 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

We are extremely concerned that DfE does not have a good enough understanding of the risks in school buildings to keep children and staff safe BEYOND ACCEPTABLE Dame Meg Hillier MP, chair of the committee, said: “A significant proportion of children in this country are learning in dilapidated or unsafe buildings.

“This is clearly beyond unacceptable, but overcoming the consequences of this deficit of long-term infrastructure planning will not be easy.

“The School Rebuilding Programme was already struggling to stay on track, and the DfE lacked a mechanism to direct funding to regions which need it most.

“It risks being blown further off course by concerns over RAAC, and many schools in dire need of help will not receive it as a result.”

She added: “The images of classroom ceilings collapsed onto empty school desks released in recent months are not just searing indictments of a deteriorating school estate — they are chilling reminders of absolute catastrophe averted through sheer luck.

“Given the poor condition of so many of these buildings, the Government’s prime challenge now is to keep the safety of children and staff absolutely paramount.”

The PAC report followed an earlier publication, in June last year, of the National Audit Office’s Condition of School Buildings paper.

It revealed that around 24,000 school buildings — 37% of the total — are beyond their estimated initial design life so generally require more maintenance than newer buildings. This included 10,000 buildings constructed before 1940, with an estimated initial design life of 60-80 years; and an estimated 13,800 ‘system-built’ blocks constructed between 1940-1980, with an estimated initial design life of 30-40 years.

And it claimed that the rate of school rebuilding is significantly below what the department estimated was required to maintain the school estate.

Report authors predict it would cost £6.7bn to return all school buildings to a satisfactory, or better, condition, with significant risk of major costs arising from further deterioration.

A lack of suitable sites is also hampering development, together with rising construction costs.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: “The DfE has, since EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Estates and Facilities Management 2021, assessed the risk of school building failure or collapse as critical and very likely, but it has not been able to reduce this risk.

“More widely, it has an ambitious strategy for decarbonising the education estate, but no plan for how it will achieve this or how much it is likely to cost.

“DfE is gathering some of the data it needs to effectively target its resources and it must now use this to improve its understanding of where schools are most at risk so it can balance addressing the most-urgent risks while investing enough in maintenance, reducing carbon emissions, and climate change adaptation measures to achieve its objectives and secure longer-term value for money.”

Here, we explore one of those key issues — the RAAC crisis — in more detail.

Government figures released on 27 November 2023, revealed RAAC has been confirmed in 231 state-funded education settings and face-to-face teaching was offered in 227 of them.

Of these, around half (117) are primary schools, and nearly 40% (90) are secondary schools. The rest are either further education settings, all-through schools (combined primary and secondary), or other types of schools.

Geographically, nearly half of the schools affected are in the East of England, with 62 settings — 27% of the national total — in Essex. Suffolk, Birmingham, and Kent schools are also significantly impacted.

WHAT IS RAAC? Reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete (RAAC) is a type of lightweight concrete which, unlike traditional concrete, does not contain gravel and pieces of crushed stone.

It was used in the UK between the 1950s and 1990s, mostly to construct public buildings, such as schools.

WHY IS IT A PROBLEM? Concerns about RAAC use in the UK were first raised in 1996 by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), which found ‘cracking’ and ‘corrosion’ in RAAC roofing panels.

In 2019, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety, an industry body, warned that RAAC planks were ‘past their expected service life’ and that roofs with RAAC planks could be at risk of collapse.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors states that RAAC in roofing panels could pose a structural risk, particularly if the RAAC was installed incorrectly or if there are leaks. This is because the porous structure of RAAC allows water to enter, which can cause its internal steel reinforcements to corrode and lead to cracking.

THE STATE OF PLAY There is no comprehensive list of which buildings contain RAAC and to identify whether it was used in a building, surveys need to be carried out.

In December 2018, the DfE advised bodies responsible for schools, such as local authorities, to identify ‘any RAAC property in their portfolio’.

It has also been collecting information on RAAC in schools and last summer RAAC panels in three buildings, which the DfE said would have been judged as ‘non-critical’ on a visual inspection, collapsed.

The department then advised schools to close all spaces with RAAC and to find emergency accommodation ‘until the building has been made safe through structural supports’.

As a result 20 of the 235 schools with suspected RAAC moved to a mix of in-person and online teaching, 19 delayed the start of term, and four moved to fully-remote learning.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

FUNDING AND SUPPORT The Government has said that every school with RAAC identified receives support from a caseworker from the DfE and, where ‘additional support is required or the scale of works is large’, from a project delivery team.

In its guidance for responsible bodies and education settings with confirmed RAAC, updated in September 2023, the DfE said it will provide funding for one-time capital-funded mitigation works, such as propping and temporary accommodation.

It also said it would approve ‘reasonable requests’ for additional help with operational (revenue) costs, for example temporarily renting a local hall or office or transportation to locations.

And, in December 2023 Health Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said the DfE would also fund ‘longer-term refurbishment or rebuilding projects to address the presence of RAAC in schools’.

And some schools with identified RAAC will receive funding through the School Rebuilding Programme.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT SpacioTempo, a specialist in temporary and semi-permanent buildings, has been working with education providers across the country to bridge the gap caused by unsafe concrete buildings.

Speaking to Education Property, its managing director, Daz Logan, said: “The main challenges are the unpredictability of RAAC deterioration and the sudden urgent need for replacement education buildings.

“Spaciotempo aims to make the process as smooth as possible by providing fast turnaround times and flexibility.

“We have issued quotes to several schools and higher education authorities to provide temporary education facilities once RAAC issues have been identified and have given advice and clarity around next steps.

“Our buildings are cost-effective, short- and medium-term solutions, can be installed quickly, and provide safe replacement teaching spaces tailored to each schools’ unique needs.

“We are equipped to provide classrooms, exam halls, sports facilities, canteens, and kitchen space, all with bespoke features such FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 31

Estates and Facilities Management

SpacioTempo has provided temporary accommodation for a number of schools, including Harris Primary School and Mary Hare School

as glazing, insulation, HVAC systems, flooring, and lighting to provide a conducive learning environment.

“This helps minimise disruption, ensuring learning can continue quickly and safely.”

Advising estates managers on what to do if RAAC is identified, he added: “It is important to act quickly.

“We expect RAAC remediation will continue being a major issue over the next year, at least, and more schools will likely identify areas needing replacement as responsible bodies work with the DfE to conduct more surveys.

“Working together with temporary building providers like Spaciotempo, the goal is to transition students to safe spaces with minimal impact on education, where this is necessary. Therefore, continued inspections and pro-active planning will be key to guaranteed UK-wide removal of RAAC, as well as ensuring issues like this do not resurface in the future.”

Furniture and fit-out specialist, Klick Technology, is also seeing an increase in the specification of modular buildings to help address the crisis and offers a one-stop-shop service to remove RAAC and fit new walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs.

A spokesman said: “Many schools are opting to install modular buildings to deal with their Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete issues in the short run.

“Modern modular buildings are built to withstand the demands of an educational environment. The interiors can be fitted out with science labs, food technology rooms, ICT suites, and many other

applications.

“We are working with a college which has received funding for temporary buildings and has requested our help in fitting out science labs within them.

Trinity School, Carlisle — SpacioTempo

John Dewey Specialist College — SpacioTempo

32 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

MODULAR SOLUTIONS “It is possible to design the room layout to allow the furniture to be uplifted from modular buildings and refitted into new buildings in the future, which is an additional benefit, especially if the requirement for additional space is temporary.”

And Ricky Barford, sales director at Algeco Modular Hire, said that, in response to enquiries from schools, it has put in place a dedicated RAAC response team.

He added: “If you are a school or academy with RAAC in your buildings — or a contractor carrying out remediation works on behalf of an affected school — temporary classrooms will help minimise disruption to the teaching calendar.

“Algeco can advise on classroom layouts and provide a single point of contact from start to finish.

“Critical to this is on-time project completion — a factor never more important when school children are having to be taught at home in some cases.

“Put simply, schools need to know the temporary classrooms will be there when they are meant to be, and temporary facilities can be installed in weeks and permanent buildings delivered 50% faster than traditional build.” n

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental

It’s good news that new-build projects must be net zero, but what we are not seeing is a big injection of finance in retrofitting, which is a major problem in the sector

Let’s go net zero!

As one of the largest emitter’s of carbon from buildings, the education sector is facing the challenge of reducing its impact on the environment. Here, we look at the support available to help providers meet their targets

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ducation is the public sector’s largest emitter of carbon from buildings — generating 37% of all emissions from the estate — with 13% coming from state primary schools, 11% from state secondary schools, and 13% from universities, according to National Audit Office figures.

And, with plans by all UK governments to bring emissions from public sector services to net zero by 2050 at the latest, work is ramping up across all educational establishments.

Underpinning this work is the Department for Education’s (DfE) ambitious eight-year Sustainability and Carbon Change Strategy, which was published in April 2022 and covers early years, schools, further education, higher education, and children’s social care services across England.

The publication followed extensive engagement with the sector and young people and set an ambitious vision that the UK education sector would be a world leader in sustainability and climate change by 2030.

34 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

And it made 143 commitments in five broad areas: the education estate, green skills and careers, climate education, operations and supply chain, and international influence.

But just how are schools doing on this net zero journey?

COMMUNITY LEADERS The Let’s Go Zero campaign, led by climate solutions charity, Ashden, was launched three years ago to support education providers in the UK to meet their carbon reduction targets.

It is backed by a powerful coalition of sustainability organisations, including Global Action Plan, WWF, The Carbon Trust, WRAP, Fairtrade, Energy Sparks, The Tree Council, The Soil Association, sustrans, and Eco-Schools, to name just a few.

Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero, told Education Property: “We see schools as really important as they are at the heart of our communities and cities and one in six of the population goes to a school every day, so they are key players in driving wider societal change.

“School leaders want to be seen as aspirational and want to be pro-active, not just because they know they need to be seen taking action, but there is always that risk that students will continue to strike to highlight the threat of climate change if they don’t do enough.

“There is also a need to address rising energy costs and the decaying condition of our school estate.

“To attract students, they need to be better than the educational establishment down the road.

“We started the campaign as we could see an increase in demand for action, help, and support from education providers and through our work we are demonstrating that.

“By Let’s Go Zero proving the demand, policy makers and the DfE can start meeting that demand and taking action, giving school leaders the tools and policy direction to help them take action.”

A SENSE OF DIRECTION But, while understanding of the need to take action is increasing among education leaders, Green said individual sites were still at various stages of their net zero journeys.

She adds: “The vast majority of schools are taking action, but not all.

“What is really exciting though is I am seeing a change at the DfE, where, three years ago, there was no one with ‘sustainability’ in their job title.

“The department has now put together the Sustainability and Climate Change Unit, which numbers around 30 people.

“And the Sustainability and Carbon Change Strategy provides a sense of EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental

Kings Academy Ringmer primary school students, Sussex, looking at its new 450kW biomass boiler which saves around 400 tonnes of CO2 a year

An Eco Wall at St Catherine’s Primary Glasgow

direction and supports action.

“This mandates that, by 2025, education providers must produce a climate action plan and appoint a named sustainability lead. This is enabling schools to do more.

“We have recently seen a good step in the right direction from the DfE in its commitment to developing a roadmap for sustainability and net zero in the school estate.

“In addition, from November 2021, there has been a commitment that every new educational building must be net zero in operation.”

But she lamented the lack of a clear funding mechanism to support the procurement and rollout of carbon-cutting innovations in the existing education estate.

She said: “It’s good news that new-build projects must be net zero, but what we are not seeing is a big injection of finance in retrofitting, which is a major problem in the sector.

“The DfE strategy did not focus much on budget, with education providers largely relying on the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is a finite moneypot for all public sector services that operates on a fastest-fingerfirst basis.

“The PSDS has its clear limits and challenges, but it’s worth pointing out that for schools which have received money, it

has been brilliant, but it just hasn’t reached enough of them.

“What really needs to take place is exploring how schools can use private finance.”

Down School pupils engage in all sorts of climate-related activities and learning

Boothroyd Primary Academy students help make an outdoor shelter using Eco-bricks

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PRIVATE FINANCE This would mean education providers working alongside the private sector, for example under environmental performance contracts (EPC) arrangements, through which the private sector forward funds any necessary works and equipment and the investment is paid back via the schools’ revenue budgets and through guaranteed efficiency savings.

“We need a better approach to private finance,” said Green.

“The money is there, but there is lack of confidence to engage with that money.

“If you are a school leader, you are an expert in education not a building or finance expert, so we tend to see that the perceived safest thing to do is nothing.

“We need to promote confidence in the private sector so that leaders fully understand the technologies, paybacks, risks, and benefits.”

To help drive this engagement, Let’s Go Zero is working on a project funded

by Green Future Investments to develop innovative finance solutions for school decarbonisation and retrofit.

The work will break down the misconceptions and barriers that stop schools seeking finance from the Government and private sources and hopes to unlock new funding options.

The campaign is also welcoming the new Net Zero Accelerator feasibility study by the DfE in partnership with LocatED, which will explore the potential for rapid rollout of energy efficiency and generation initiatives enabling targeting of funding, including possible new loan and delivery models.

And Let’s Go Zero has also announced a new Climate Action Advisor Network made up of independent, unbiased experts who will provide free support to schools, colleges, and nurseries across England.

Through one-to-one phone and online meetings, school site visits, and webinars, they will help education providers to upgrade school buildings, understand routes to funding, get further support from local and national organisations, produce climate action plans, and connect with other local schools to share best practice.

Green explains: “We started in November in the Midlands and will be rolling out across England this year, with advisers helping to show education leaders what can be done and what they should be doing, explaining the options and where the priorities are.

Comberton Village College’s huge heat network project

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 35

Environmental

Herne Bay Junior new solar panels

QUICK WINS “There are 60,000 school buildings in England alone and there are still a lot of opportunities for ‘quick wins’.

“For example, we know that 50-60% of energy use in schools is when students aren’t in the buildings, so there is a lot of energy waste to address.

“We see a lot of schools looking at big kit such as heat pumps because they believe their energy demand is high, but our advisers will ask whether they have looked at things like improving insulation, turning heating down, switching to LED lighting, and considering

things like solar panels on the roof.

“It really needs to be a fabric-first approach where you consider where you are, where you need to be, and the best way of getting there.”

One key development in recent years has been the creation of multi-academy trusts to manage groups of schools.

This has led to a move from a single caretaker looking after a single school to the creation of more technical roles such as academy directors of estates, who will use their expertise to oversee the management of dozens of individual sites.

EXPERT SUPPORT Green said: “We are seeing a lot more competence and confidence within estates and this will be vital in the coming years in embedding and understanding sustainability and what needs to be done.

“And it will hopefully increase the effectiveness of a public/private partnership approach to carbon reduction across the education sector.”

One of the Let’s Go Zero climate action advisors in the Midlands, Jo Pettifer, added: “Having been both a school leader and a sustainability co-ordinator, I know first-hand how keen schools are to reduce carbon, cut costs, and improve staff and pupil wellbeing.

“What they desperately need is the specialist expertise to help them do this and that’s exactly what this role offers them.”

And climate action project manager, Lucy Archer, who put the team together, said: “From helping embed a sustainability lead, to drawing up a climate action plan or carrying out a zero-carbon audit, our advisors can offer as much support as is needed.

“If you are taking your first steps in your shift to zero carbon, or are ready to raise your sustainable journey to the next level, our advisors will be by your side, all the way.” n

University launches pioneering carbon-cutting tool Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has launched a pioneering tool to enable higher education institutions and their suppliers to meet net zero carbon targets — with over 30 universities already incorporating it into their supply chain processes.

Developed by colleagues in sustainability and procurement at NTU, and in collaboration with NETpositive Futures, the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool not only provides an institution with supply chain carbon emissions data, but also proactively targets and influences suppliers to reduce their own environmental impact.

And, following a successful trial with six universities, the tool has now launched to the wider sector, with over 30 universities 36 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

already on board as part of a one-year action research project.

By collecting supplierspecific carbon footprint data, universities can report on the sustainability impact of the goods and services they purchase, as well as track reductions in emissions when sustainability interventions are implemented.

Suppliers are each provided with an estimated carbon footprint and a bespoke carbon reduction plan free of charge.

And, regardless of how many universities they do business with, only one account is needed as the data is then shared.

Laura Mayhew-Manchón, head of sustainability at NTU, said: “NTU has a commitment

to not only meet its own net zero carbon target by 2040, but also to build sustainable supply chains across the higher education sector.

“Supply chain emissions are the largest single source of emissions within our own footprint – five times greater than our emissions from energy use, which is common in many organisations.

“Our Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool goes some way to help us, and the sector, to reduce our Scope 3 emissions in a targeted and informed way.”

Larissa Morrish, head of procurement at Lancaster University, which is also using the tool, added: “Lancaster University declared a climate emergency in 2020 and has set an ambitious target to become

carbon net zero by 2035.

“We have reduced our electricity and heating emissions by 50% since 2005, but we know there is a long way to go significantly impact our Scope 3 emissions.

“Visibility of carbon reduction activities in the supply chain is a huge challenge for all organisations and the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool gives us a tangible way forward to work with our suppliers and to record their carbon reduction activities.

“I am particularly pleased with the engagement from our SME suppliers, which made up 70% of responses. Many measured their carbon impact for the first time using the tool and, unlike larger suppliers, did not already have a carbon reduction plan in place.”

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental

The greenest primary school in the country In this article, Simon Butler, managing director of building central at Tilbury Douglas, discusses the innovations used to successfully complete the UK’s first purpose-built biophilic primary school

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ork on St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary (CV) Academy in Derby was recently completed, paving the way for the opening of the UK’s first biophilic primary school.

The pioneering new eco building, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, was selected by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2021 as a pilot scheme, following a devastating arson attack that destroyed the previous school.

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary (CV) Academy in Derby, which is now complete, embraces key Construction Playbook themes, being net-zero carbon in operation, lowembodied carbon, and a Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) exemplar, including a fully-embraced digital strategy.

INNOVATIVE DESIGN The biophilic design focuses on connecting the internal environment with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health.

Moving away from the typical singlebuilding accommodation arrangement, St Marys CV Academy is distinctive in plan.

Comprising of five single-storey 38 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

buildings, linked by a large covered central walkway, the plan promotes high levels of natural light and access to the surrounding landscape.

As part of the landscape strategy, the site has been planted with 96 new trees, many of which will be semi mature to help the school become quickly embedded in the biophilic landscape.

Additional landscape features include

rain gardens, season bulb planting, and meadow grasses.

Learning from, and in nature, is an important theme for the academy and will be supported through the built environment.

For example, each classroom features doors to courtyards, increasing access to outside spaces.

And the natural landscape hopes EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental to capture the imagination of pupils, aiding their exploration of their natural surroundings, boosting creativity, and reducing stress.

As a Catholic school, faith areas such as a chapel and memorial garden will work harmoniously with the forest school and biophilic principles in a holistic design that unites nature, education, and spirituality.

UTILISING MMC The speed at which the project was delivered was mainly down to the Innovare Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) system; an interlocking, load-bearing system that is manufactured off site and guarantees performance in terms of thermal insulation, fire safety, and acoustics. It also uses environmentally-friendly materials and finishes, alongside efficient processes that concentrate on minimal waste and recycling offcuts.

The floor and ceiling SIPs strategy will not only support the school in its lowembodied carbon aspirations, but will also make maintenance easier moving forwards, omitting suspended ceilings and cavity MEP. SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING Considering the building’s embodied lifecycle has been an important part of the design and preconstruction of this project, alongside the operational energy strategy, devised by Cundall, which will deliver net zero carbon in use.

Our engineering team undertook the design and installation of this highlythermal-efficient building. This included significant amounts of full-height glazing to maximise the benefits of natural daylight.

Other key mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) strategies included the use of heat pumps, photovoltaics (PV), and intelligent natural ventilation technologies.

And post-occupant support will, together with enhanced metering, play a key role in optimising the future operating performance of this building and provide essential data to help inform future standards.

SOCIAL VALUE SUCCESSES Alongside the build programme, our social value commitments have been a priority, with a complete social value plan being delivered in association with the project team and stakeholders.

Among local spend, some of the highlights have included several apprenticeship opportunities; work placements from University of Derby, T-Level placements, as well as summer placements for local young people interested in construction careers.

NEXT STEPS To have completed this project is a great achievement by all those involved with this important scheme.

As the UK’s greenest primary school, and first biophilic school, this DfE pilot project will play a key role in setting future standards for eco-friendly schools of the future and we know the pupils, teachers, and the wider community will really benefit from utilising the new facilities.

Moving forwards, the school will be part of a research programme with the University of Derby, which will be monitoring the various innovative elements of the building and reporting pupil health and wellbeing results. This will help provide lessons learned to the DfE and future school developments. n

SOLAR PANELS REDUCE EMISSIONS AND LOWER ENERGY COSTS Solar panels have been installed at Eggar’s School in Alton and the Petersfield School (TPS) in Petersfield in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and lower costs.

East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) gave £25,000 to each school, which was the start of pulling funding together for the ambitious projects.

Local community energy groups, Energise South Downs (ESD) and Energy Alton, helped secure the remaining funding and supported the schools through the installation process.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

The final installation at Eggar’s will provide 50kW of panels, and the larger installation at TPS will provide 110kW of panels.

Councillor Robert Mocatta, EHDC

portfolio holder for regeneration and place, which includes climate change, said: “It is important that schools are able to use renewable sources of energy.

“Young people will inherit the world from us, and when they do I want them to know we did everything we could to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Director of Energise South Downs, Catriona Cockburn, added: “Our aim is to support organisations to realise their ambitions for renewable energy and it has been great to support TPS, which is a school passionate about decarbonising.”

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 39

Environmental

Jill Wellington from Pixabay

The road ahead The DfE recently published an update on its climate strategy.

Here we look at the key points

I

n December 2023, the Department for Education published an update on its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.

And a key element of its work is around the education estate.

According to the report, achievements to date include: • The opening, in August 2022, of the DfE’s first net-zero school, Treetops in Grays, Essex • Working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to help education settings access the £1.4bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help cut costs and emissions, with £342m worth of investment going to schools in 2022 and 2023 • The publication, in December 2022, of guidance on reducing energy for schools alongside additional funding of £447m aimed at supporting schools with energy reduction measures Over the course of this year there will 40 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

be additional work across the country, including: • Deployment of air quality sensors in schools to better understand the role of data in supporting effective management of healthy learning environments • A new Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework for higher education and further education to help understand energy and carbon impact, how they can monitor and report data, and begin to plan actions to adapt and mitigate • A carbon emissions framework for schools and early years settings is currently in consultation with unions and stakeholders • Work to share and drive progress on issues relating to operations and supply chains, including circulating to schools a food waste prevention pack created by the Waste and Resources Action Programme and promoting sustainable procurement through commercial support and outreach

St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy has been designed using sustainable and resilient materials to connect the inside with nature, promoting better physical and mental health • A £60m investment by Active Travel England to ensure more children have access to school and cycle training programmes to help make it easier for parents to choose greener travel options • Condition data provided to the UCL Modelling Platform for Schools will EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Environmental simulate what impact interventions, such as installing heat pumps, can have on energy consumption and emissions.

The department will use data to establish benchmarks in the carbon emissions framework and inform climate risk assessment of the education estate • A framework for the assessment of the risks of flood, water scarcity, and overheating to education services will be published and setting level data will be available by the end of 2024 • A digital hub with curriculum-aligned teaching resources, digital mapping tools, and community science tool kits is now live and will help young people develop their knowledge of, and connection with, nature, through projects to explore, map, and enhance the biodiversity of their surroundings • £15m in grant funding to support SEND and participation in disadvantaged schools in areas of nature depletion. The evidence will be used to develop the grant programme to ensure it supports settings to overcome barriers to accessing nature • Support officers, employed by the Royal Horticultural Society, will provide settings with hands-on support to help kick start projects And pathfinder schemes will continue across the country, such as the development of the first biophilic primary school — St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby — which opened in December.

DfE’s first net-zero school, Treetops in Grays, Essex

Treetop’s solar panels

The school has been designed using sustainable and resilient materials to connect the inside with nature, promoting better physical and mental health.

‘Gen zero’ buildings, designed using low to no carbon construction methods, are also in construction at Ashington College, Northumberland; Forge Wood,

West Sussex; 6 Woodside Primary School, Hertfordshire; and, Wellfield Methodist and Anglican School, Lancashire.

And the Resilient Schools Project is testing the optimum combination of retrofit options to improve climate resilience at Keelham, Thorton, Holybrook, and Byron Primary Schools in Yorkshire. n

FIVE STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY In its update, the DfE announced five steps it is taking to make the education sector more sustainable and prepare young people for a world impacted by climate change.

1. APPOINTING YOUTH FOCAL POINTS Young people are at the centre of the Government’s strategy, with university students, Will Wale and Jodie Bailey-Ho, acting as ‘youth focal points’.

They are working alongside the DfE to represent the voice of young people as the department delivers on its climate strategy.

2. ATTENDING COP 28 Building on progress made at COP26 and COP27, in November education minister, Baroness Barran, and Will Wale attended the first dedicated education day at COP28, where they worked with international partners to drive the development of national education strategies, address climate risk, and build moreresilient education systems.

3. DEVELOPING CLIMATE ACTION PLANS The DfE has set a target for all education settings to have a sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place by 2025 to help embed sustainability in all they do.

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And, from this year schools, nurseries, and colleges will be able to access a new support service to help develop these plans, with a website providing evidence-based actions and expert and peer-to-peer support.

4. EXPANDING THE CLIMATE AMBASSADOR SCHEME To provide on-the-ground support, the DfE is expanding the Climate Ambassador scheme.

Led by the University of Reading and STEM Learning, climate ambassadors have already helped more than 80,000 learners and educators to include climate education in the curriculum and reduce their environmental impact.

5. LAUNCHING THE NATIONAL EDUCATION NATURE PARK Launched in October with the Natural History Museum and the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Education Nature Park offers children and young people the opportunity to take hands-on action to improve biodiversity and tackle climate change.

Schools, colleges, and nurseries which sign up now have access to a range of resources including digital tools, classroom activities, and an interactive map displaying the growing Nature Park across the school estate.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 41

Products

Take to the floor!

How flooring manufacturers are responding to the needs of education clients with products for all areas

T

he design of buildings is key to ensuring the most-effective and efficient delivery of education services.

And, as floors are one of the mostextensive surfaces in any building, the choice of material and installation and maintenance processes must be carefully considered.

Educational establishments demand attractive, hardwearing, low-maintenance, safe, and sustainable floors in order to create spaces in which people can work, learn, play, relax, and socialise.

Forbo Flooring Systems’ Schools Design Guide — Making Spaces Into Learning Places provides guidance on practical floor cover solutions for primary and secondary mainstream schools.

And it highlights the complexities of choosing the right product for the right area.

CHOOSE WISELY For example, corridors and circulation areas are busy, noisy places and demand durable and safe floor coverings; while technical teaching rooms, such as design, technology, and art classes, often require safety flooring designed with slip resistance and durability in mind.

And while laboratories and science rooms might need flooring which can withstand 42 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

Forbo Flooring Systems has published a design guide for schools

Modern-day schools now not only provide spaces to learn and work, but they also offer areas to relax and to socialise in — and the flooring plays a significant role in the total experience EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Products

Anytime when walking into any room, the floor is a huge part of that environment and should be given the consideration it duly deserves contaminants, gyms and sports halls benefit from acoustic materials and speciality high-grip surfaces.

A Forbo spokesman said: “Modern-day schools now not only provide spaces to learn and work, but they also offer areas to relax and to socialise in — and the flooring plays a significant role in the total experience.

“In fact, it can help to distinguish different spaces or connect multifunctional spaces together, all the while being functional, decorative, stimulating, or supportive to other architectural elements, depending on the purpose of the space.

“We are constantly working on creating better indoor environments and healthier buildings by supplying floor coverings that are not only functional and comfortable, but also safe and environmentally friendly.”

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SAFE AND SOUND Tony Thorne, specification manager for Wales at Gerflor UK, adds: “Anytime when walking into any room, the floor is a huge part of that environment and should be given the consideration it duly deserves.

“Different stakeholders will have different priorities, but, in general, budget, aesthetics and acoustics, slip resistance, cleanability and durability, along with responsibly-sourced/sustainable solutions, are key drivers.

“And, from a pupil perspective, the installation of a floor that is safe for them to interact with, when taking part in sporting activities as an example, is a key consideration for us as a company and something which often gets overlooked or substituted when it comes to design and build projects, unfortunately.”

Gerflor has seen particular interest from education clients in its safety vinyl flooring solutions, which are available in modern, bright, and contemporary designs — making them ideal for schools.

“You can now find safety solutions with authentic wood and stone finishes that are a world away from ‘traditional’ dull grey”, said Thorne.

“However, safety vinyl flooring can be more difficult to clean than some other flooring products, for example.”

Recent projects which Gerflor has been involved with include providing floor coverings for Pencoedtre High School, a large new-build school in Barry, Wales.

Project designer, HLM Architects, specified 700sq m of Gerflor’s Taraflex vinyl sports flooring in the ‘Maple’ colourway to contrast with the multi-sport markings and sit alongside the sports-recommended blue walls.

And the company’s Tarasafe Impression and Tarasafe Standard vinyl safety flooring was installed at a high-end student accommodation development in Gloucester city centre.

Taralay Impression Comfort heterogenous flooring, Creation 55 LVT, and Gradus Boulevard 5000 high-performance Secondary Barrier Matting Tiles, were also used.

Offering advice to specifiers, Thorne has three ‘top tips’: 1. Challenge tradition: In a world with constantly-changing technologies and FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 43

Products

new innovations, it is worth researching into new product developments for building interiors 2. Consider who is going to benefit: Is it the main contractor who needs to keep within a budget? Is it the estates manager who has to keep the floor clean and costs low for the next 20 years? Or is it the 12-year-old athlete having to do PE in a hall that is also used for dining? All these competing demands will need to be met 3. Talk to flooring manufacturers: They will have solutions for all concerns and for all budgets and timescales. It’s important to just ask!

And, moving forward, he predicts that budgetary restraints and green credentials will underpin future flooring trends.

“It’s no secret that budgets are being squeezed and manufacturers have to adapt to this changing environment by offering cost-effective solutions for all applications,” he said.

“Sustainability is extremely important in flooring manufacturing because it reduces the overall environmental impact that flooring has on our built environment, reducing both the embodied and operational carbon of buildings.

“Sustainable flooring is manufactured using natural, low-carbon, and/or recycled materials, and has a low environmental footprint over the course of its life.”

Benefits of sustainable flooring include: • It conserves natural resources and reduces waste by using renewable, recycled, or biodegradable materials, as well as renewable energy during manufacturing processes • It creates a circular economy where waste materials are used to manufacture new flooring • It improves indoor air quality and comfort by minimising emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and allergens • It improves the longevity of an education facility.

With durable and low-maintenance floors, there will be reduced energy and water consumption during its lifespan and reduced lifetime CO2 emissions.

Durable products also require less replacement over the life of a building. n

CHILD’S PLAY A climbing tower is providing a focal point at a newlyrevamped playground at Aldrington CE Primary School in Hove, East Sussex.

Pentagon Play created the bespoke Triple Tower Climber for the Key Stage 1 outdoor space, giving the opportunity for children of all abilities to take part in explorative and imaginative play.

The company’s playground consultant, Paul Speller, also devised a new drainage system on the site to prevent pooling, which had previously caused problems.

All-weather artificial grass was then laid, with Shockpad foam tiles added as an extra safety measure.

The tower itself features a

44 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

number of obstacles, from a suspension bridge to a climbing ramp.

And, standing on the elevated deck, pupils can view the whole playground through bubble windows before setting off down the slide or firefighter’s pole.

To allow for pupils to develop essential gross motor skills, an additional climber was also chosen.

The Bowfell Climber with

Platform and Climbing Net encourages social interaction as children practise turn taking and effective communication and co-operation.

Upper and lower body strength is also developed as children tackle the climbing nets and wall and a bright splash of Blue Wetpour surfacing provides a contrast and a great prop for games and stories.

The final active piece which the school invested in was Pentagon’s Get Set, Go! Blocks — The Mendips Set, featuring 12 blocks of different shapes and sizes which can be moved by groups of children or adults, creating fresh, interesting obstacle courses on a daily basis.

And, for those pupils who want to withdraw from active play, there is a wigwam.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Interview

The evolution of design In this Q&A, Peter Courtney, a director at LSI Architects who heads up the company’s work in the education sector, shares his experience and predicts how design approaches will change to meet the very-specific needs of the industry

Q: Can you tell me about your career history and how you got involved in designing educational facilities?

A: My career started back in the early 1990s as an architectural assistant at Todd Architects in Belfast, after which I spent five years at The Parr Partnership in Glasgow alongside undertaking qualifications at the Mackintosh School of Architecture.

I joined LSI Architects in 2008 and became a director in 2016.

Early on in my career as a qualified architect I worked for a practice which had been 46 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

commissioned to design the first grouped governmentfunded schools programme in Scotland.

I was project lead for the first of these schools, creating a newbuild primary and secondary school for over 1,000 pupils in Falkirk.

Over the last 25 years I have been privileged to be involved in more than 150 education projects, ranging from nurseries through to higher education projects.

A moment in my career that confirmed my passion for designing educational facilities followed the completion of a primary school project in Cambridge.

Myself and a colleague were invited to attend an assembly where we were personally thanked by every pupil from reception to year six who had each drawn their own version of the completed building.

We recognised then the real positive impact that the improved facilities had on every individual, and I’ve carried that experience with me ever since.

Q: How important are buildings in the overall delivery of education services?

A: Creating the right environment to enable effective teaching and learning has demonstrable influence over the quality of the student learning experience and approach to education.

The decisions we make as designers of a building are directly relevant to this. For example, ensuring the provision of good natural light can promote physical and mental comfort while concurrently reducing eye strain.

The quality, shape, arrangement, and diversity of learning spaces plays a crucial role in facilitating a harmonious integration of physical and digital learning experiences.

Views both into and out of spaces not only encourages improved behaviour, but also establishes a sense of connection and enables effective passive supervision.

Incorporating biophilic design principles and establishing a connection to nature and

outdoor spaces has been shown to improve attention spans and alleviate anxiety.

The creation of suitable areas for staff wellbeing likewise are becoming increasingly important as, without happy, healthy, and motivated staff, there can be little chance of creating a successful educational environment.

We need to continue to encourage a new wave of teaching practitioners into the education profession who are passionate about improving educational outcomes for generations to come.

And, in my view, buildings where children come to learn are among the most important within our society because it is where they will meet other children from different backgrounds and learn to interact and collaborate with each other.

The skills and knowledge acquired in school contribute to shaping students into responsible citizens and therefore the learning environment must be conducive to nurturing these qualities.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Interview

Q: What have you learned is most important when designing education buildings?

A: We adhere to the belief that the successful design of any education environment starts with getting the basics right and placing pupils’ needs at the heart of the design process.

In my opinion the mostimportant component to this is to listen and prioritise clear communication.

Doing this well at the outset of the project is fundamental to developing a thorough and responsive brief.

In my experience this is always a solid foundation, and through meaningful stakeholder engagement, the project can develop successfully.

It is also fundamental to get the internal environment right in terms of acoustics, temperature, light, layout, finishes, technology, and equipment.

Brent Knoll

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

This has been especially evident in our extensive work in the design of specialist educational environments, where utilising tried-andtested construction methods and robust materials to create appropriate, adaptable environments that are sensitive to the specific needs of the students is critical.

Q: How has the design approach to educational settings evolved since you first began working in the sector?

A: There has been increasing evidence of the benefit and value of a well-designed educational environment.

As a result, there are considerably more guidelines to follow and regulatory requirements than there were a couple of decades ago.

The recognition of the importance of placing the pupil or student at the heart of education design, and greater

ADA College

acknowledgement that a learning environment can, and should, inspire and stimulate, create a sense of belonging, support independence, and promote happiness and fulfilment has enabled designers to design learning spaces that are more flexible, innovative, and more inspirational for young people.

In recent years, however, budgets and programmes have become more constrained.

But this has led to even more innovation, through standardisation of processes, components, materials, and construction techniques.

Q: How do you think design approaches will evolve in the future?

A: The education sector is rapidly evolving, with the lines between education and business becoming increasingly blurred.

Environments will need to become much more flexible and adaptable to cater to different learning styles and teaching methods that respond to new technology and the skills

that will be required in the workplaces of the future.

This could mean providing a range of environments as alternatives to the classroom, from private study spaces for more independent focused learning, and breakout areas for group work, to larger spaces for shared experiences — much like you would expect to find in a modern workplace environment.

We are seeing this incorporated into some briefs, but this should become the norm in future school design.

This shift will better prepare young people for the transition from the classroom to the workplace, a concept we’ve witnessed evolving over our recent education projects.

There will also be an increased need to create sustainable energy positive education buildings and a continued need to make sure buildings are accessible by a range of users outside of school hours to help economic viability and be a tool and resource for learning itself. n FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024 | 47

People

Taskforce calls for better conditions for teachers The Government’s Teacher Workload Reduction Taskforce has published early recommendations from its work to help minsters meet their pledge to cut five hours from the working week of all school staff.

H

eadline proposals include ditching performance-related pay (PRP) and introducing a workload-focused inset day, although the Government has indicated it will not support the latter.

Describing PRP as ‘working poorly in practice’, the taskforce recommends a consultation on axing it in time for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Government has committed to a ‘rapid’ review to replace PRP from September 1 with a ‘less-bureaucratic way to manage performance fairly and transparently’.

The taskforce also said that schools and trusts should consider assigning a senior leader ‘with dedicated responsibility for improving wellbeing and reducing workload’.

RELIEVING THE BURDEN And it said a revised list of administrative tasks that teachers should not be required to do should be reinserted in the school teachers’ pay and conditions document (STPCD). Examples include that teachers should not collect money from pupils and parents, have to manage getting cover for absent teachers, do bulk photocopying, or investigate a pupil’s absence. They also should not have duties over ‘organisation, decoration, and assembly’ of classrooms.

In addition, it ruled that the department should ‘amend guidance to governors and trustees so that the core function of strategic leadership includes consideration of staff workload and wellbeing’ when setting the school’s or trust’s strategic priorities.

Responding to the recommendations, James Zuccollo, director for school workforce at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said:“Given the huge recruitment and retention challenges facing schools, 48 | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2024

and the significant concerns held by the profession about the impact of teacher workload, it is important that the Government continues to work closely with the sector to act on this pressing issue.

“One of the main recommendations made by the taskforce is the removal of Performance Related Pay requirements (PRP).

A SENSIBLE STEP “Research has shown that PRP requirements have had a minimal impact on school’s practices while creating an additional administrative burden for schools, so removing these would be a sensible step.

“However, it is vitally important that we retain the most-talented teachers in the profession and financially rewarding them for their outsized impact on pupils’ lives may be part of the answer.

“Removing the PRP requirements must not constrain headteachers’ ability to reward and retain their best teachers, particularly when average pay across the profession continues to fall further behind that of other graduate professions.”

The taskforce will now look at themes including the impact and unintended consequences of accountability on workload, which will include school inspections.

Also under the microscope will be contractual provisions in the STPCD, technological solutions, the impact of pressures on wider public services

Research has shown that PRP requirements have had a minimal impact on school’s practices while creating an additional administrative burden for schools, so removing these would be a sensible step. on schools, parental expectations, and complaints, and culture across the education system.

And they will also continue exploring ‘as a matter of urgency’ further options to strengthen the implantation of the 2016 workload review group recommendations.

Final recommendations will be put to government, Ofsted, and school and trust leaders by the end of March. n EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

People

LocateED staff join D&I committees LocatED’s commitment to promoting greater diversity and inclusion (D&I) within the education property market has been demonstrated in recent weeks as four members of staff have taken up sought-after positions on two important industry committees.

LocatED is an arm’s-length body to the Department for Education, set up in 2017 to support the delivery of world-class education settings across England.

And Nimo Ege, Nadia Persaud, and Alex Ward have recently been appointed to the latest cohort of the Government Property Diversity & Inclusion Shadow Board.

The board comprises government property professionals from more-junior grades and/ or under-represented groups and mirrors the Property Leaders Board, discussing the same proposals and papers and providing insight and challenge to be considered by senior leaders.

EDI appointments Rav Cheema, Nadia Persaud, Nimo Ege, Alex Ward

There is also a mutual mentoring element, pairing up mentors with a property leader mentee to help better understand barriers faced by staff and identify ways to tackle them.

Meanwhile, LocatED’s Rav Cheema has secured a place on the Real Estate Balance Policy and Campaigns Committee (PCC) for the next three years.

The PCC is Real Estate Balance’s primary diversity and inclusion activity development and thought leadership forum.

Commenting on the appointments, LocatED chief executive, Lara Newman, said: “Promoting greater diversity and inclusivity across the property industry is important to LocatED as a company and me personally.

“As such, I am delighted to see such passionate and talented individuals earn places on these boards and not only have the opportunity to grow professionally, but also have a positive impact on the wider industry.”

Former pupil named Savills creates new head of Ipswich School sustainability role

Nick Gregory

Ipswich School, a public school for pupils aged three to 18, has appointed former pupil Nick Gregory as its head, replacing Nicholas Weaver.

Since 2015 Gregory has been head of day and boarding school, Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire and while in the position he improved academic standards, developed boarding, increased pupil numbers, raised the school’s profile both nationally and abroad, and led a wide-range of building and facilities projects.

He said of the role: “I feel exceptionally honoured to have been asked to lead the next chapter of Ipswich School’s long and illustrious history.

“Nick Weaver will hand on a school in extraordinarily good shape characterised by, among many other things, a notable and richly-deserved reputation for excellence in music and the arts, outstanding academic achievement in a wide range of subject areas, and a recent record of enormous success in sport.”

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Property consultancy, Savills, has expanded its sustainability team with the appointment of its first climate risk and resilience consultant, Sarah Brayshaw.

She joins as an associate director and has more than seven years experience in the sustainability sector, specialising in climate risk and resilience.

Previously working for Deloitte, she supported banking and capital market firms to embed climate risk and ESG into financial decision-making processes as part of regulatory requirements.

Prior to this, she also worked as a catastrophe risk analyst at Willis Towers Watson, as well as having an academic background in meteorology and climate science from the University of Reading.

At Savills, Brayshaw will act as the principle climate risk and resilience consultant and will lead the development and delivery of the team’s climate physical risk service line across

Sarah Brayshaw

all sectors, including education.

She said: “It has never been more important for businesses to be aware of climate risk and real estate is part of the solution.

“I look forward to both reducing climate change impacts, improving resilience, and adapting property portfolios in order to make a meaningful impact for those in the sector.”

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