Cleaning is one of the largest operational costs in a school or Multi-Academy Trust, yet it is often one of the least consistently benchmarked. Many schools know what they spend on cleaning, but far fewer can confidently say whether that spend represents good value, is appropriately resourced, or is aligned to the standards they expect across their estate.
One tool that can bring much-needed clarity is the BICSc Productivity Rates. But what are they, and how widely are they being used in education?
What are BICSc Productivity Rates?
BICSc Productivity Rates are industry-recognised benchmarks that set out how long it should take to clean different types of spaces to an agreed standard, based on factors such as:
- Type of area (classrooms, toilets, sports halls, boarding accommodation, circulation spaces)
- Level of soiling and footfall
- Cleaning frequency
- Methods, equipment and materials used
Rather than being arbitrary targets, these rates are designed to provide a realistic, evidence-based guide to labour requirements. Used correctly, they help schools understand how many cleaning hours are genuinely needed to maintain spaces safely, hygienically and consistently.
Why productivity rates matter in schools and Trusts
In our work with schools across the UK, we regularly see cleaning models that have evolved over time rather than being deliberately designed. Staffing levels may reflect historical decisions, legacy contracts or well-intentioned attempts to make things work within tight budgets.
Without a clear benchmark, this can lead to several common challenges:
- Under-resourcing – where cleaning teams are expected to cover too much space in too little time, increasing risk, inconsistency and staff fatigue
- Over-resourcing – where hours are allocated inefficiently, putting unnecessary pressure on budgets
- Inconsistent standards – across different buildings or sites within a Trust
- Limited visibility – for senior leaders over whether cleaning provision represents best value
BICSc Productivity Rates offer a way to step back and look objectively at what is required, rather than what has always been done.
Are schools actually using them?
Some are – but many aren’t. Or they are using them only partially.
In many cases, productivity rates are referenced during procurement or tendering, but not embedded into day-to-day management or longer-term planning. Elsewhere, cleaning responsibilities may be split between academic buildings, boarding houses and facilities teams, making it difficult to apply a consistent framework or gain a complete picture of total labour and cost.
From theory to practice: using productivity rates properly
Here at Litmus, we typically apply BICSc benchmarking as part of a best value review of cleaning provision. This involves mapping current labour deployment against the actual size, use and required standard of each space.
This labour mapping exercise often reveals important insights, such as areas where cleaning time is unrealistically tight, creating risk and pressure on staff and opportunities to redistribute hours more evenly across the site or Trust.
The aim is not to simply reduce hours or costs. It’s to ensure that resources are aligned with need, standards are clearly defined, and leaders can be confident they are meeting both operational and statutory responsibilities.
How does this look in real life? We recently found that one of our clients was overspending by 400 hours per week on their cleaning!
Understanding whether your cleaning provision is fit-for-purpose
For schools and Trusts under increasing financial and operational pressure, BICSc Productivity Rates provide a practical starting point for understanding whether cleaning provision is genuinely fit-for- purpose.
If you’re unsure how your current model compares, or whether staffing levels and standards are properly aligned across your estate, an independent review can bring clarity. We support schools and Trusts to assess cleaning provision objectively, using recognised benchmarking data to inform better decisions and demonstrate best value.
If you would like to understand how BICSc Productivity Rates could be applied in your school or Trust, get in touch with our team here to start the conversation.
The Litmus team
