Agenda item

To report and comment on action to maintain the schools estate.

Gloria Ighodaro, Head of Estate Management, reported on work to maintain the maintenance of the schools that the Council was responsible for.  There were two elements to this:

·         Planned works, arising from condition surveys and the need for statutory compliance; and

·         Unplanned works that were required to ensure that schools remained safe and operational. 

Historically, £1 million per year had been allocated for maintenance works but this had been increased to £6.6 million for this year and there was likely to be another £5 million required for the year after.  There was a lot of outstanding work that needed to be dealt with and most schools had had works done. A significant number of school buildings within the borough were Victorian and therefore had high maintenance requirements.  

Not all schools were aware of their responsibility to undertake statutory compliance tests.  All schools received devolved funding for minor repairs and maintenance. A Schools Premises Management Handbook had been developed and issued to all maintained schools which set out the respective roles and responsibilities of schools as tenants and the Council as the landlord.  A collaborative approach remained the way by which the Corporate Landlord Team worked with schools, Business Managers and Site Managers.  There was no wish to see schools having to close due to maintenance issues and this had been avoided so far.  The Panel noted that it would be necessary to prioritise works.  Health and safety works were normally prioritised in the first instance. 

In answer to a question, Ms Ighodaro stated that it had been recognised that a planned approach was required. Allowances would nevertheless need to be made for reactive work but it was hoped this would comprise a smaller percentage of work.  In some schools, major works were required including full refurbishments. The ultimate aim was to make schools more resilient.  Condition surveys of all schools had been completed by the Major Projects Team and all schools had a copy of their respective Condition Survey.

The Panel welcomed the handbook for schools and the additional funding and requested that information on major projects be shared with it when planned.  It was noted that the previous amount of £1 million for maintenance works had been set some time ago and was now outdated.  Decisions on the future funding allocations for the repair and maintenance programme would be reviewed on an annual basis.

Ms Ighodaro reported that an asbestos survey had been commissioned across the school estate so that an up to date asbestos register could be available and to have a consistent approach to assessing and addressing any remedial works that might be required thereafter.  A lot of progress had been achieved and it was hoped to have a clear idea of what further maintenance works were required by the end of this year.  There were regular meetings held with schools, including Headteachers and site managers, to ensure that communication on priority works were agreed collaboratively. 

AGREED:

That further information be shared with the Panel in due course on any major works that are planned to take place in maintained schools.