For the past six months, the focus for schools has been firmly on ‘how can we adapt our premises to ensure they are Covid and compliant-safe’. Whilst this has understandably dominated activities, before Covid there were a multitude of statutory compliance measures schools had to meet to ensure their premises were safe – and these still remain.
With schools facing increasing pressure on staff resources and challenging budgets, adapting for Covid and ensuring compliance in all other areas is often complex and overwhelming to navigate.
We’ve worked within the education sector for over 20 years – it’s the sector we started in and it’s where we feel at home. We’ve helped hundreds of schools provide the best possible environment and services to their students and staff, whilst also ensuring they are operating in the most effective and efficient way possible.
Many schools have been in touch over the summer holidays, seeking support as they reopen to ensure their facilities, service delivery models, practices & procedures and systems are all fully statutory compliant. With premises having been dormant and inactive for the past six months, these checks are now more important than ever.
Of the schools we’ve worked with so far, indications show that there are around 20% – a fifth – that aren’t meeting statutory compliance checks. In addition, where checks have been done, they haven’t always been logged correctly (if at all) and there is no supporting evidence held anywhere.
Our compliance checks go far deeper than just checking the lights work and doors open – they look at every part of the building infrastructure, and the assets and systems within it, including fire safety systems, building regulatory checks, safe systems of work, the water and heating systems and so on, to ensure they comply with statutory and legislated regulation.
It’s an area of expertise that not many schools have in-house and are therefore unable to benefit from help and guidance. Worryingly, the government’s list of key actions included 12 points; ours includes 85. The information out there barely scratches the surface.
We’re here to help. Covid has created an overwhelmingly difficult situation to navigate, on top of vast pressures schools have always faced to ensure they are providing a safe and secure environment. Couple this with increasingly limited staff resources, schools need additional support.
Throughout lockdown we’ve acted as consultants to the Cabinet Office, we’re a longstanding Crown Commercial Service Supplier and have helped many schools over the years ensure their premises are operating effectively and efficiently.
We have released extra dates from now until the end of September to work with schools to support them during the reopening phase. To book an appointment contact us.
Litmus – doing what’s right, when it matters most.