Many schools have been hit hard as a result of the pandemic, needing to dramatically adapt as they closed, reopened and adjusted to fit the pandemic environment.
While factors such as ageing buildings, inner-city locations, and climate change make this adaptation more difficult, Jane Parrinder, National Account Manager at the engineering consultancy SPIE UK, says it opens opportunities to rethink the functionality of school estates.
As school estates require a revamp to tackle these challenges head on, the requirement for new technologies will become more pertinent and the demands on schools and HE to meet the challenges posed by the environment are ever increasing. In particular, the problems associated with particulate pollution and virus transmission are much more at the fore of people’s minds than before. Facilities managers need to help their partners in education overcome these demands so they can maintain, improve, and build learning environments for the future.
Buildings used for education must meet specific regulations.
The Department for Education has produced advice to help the industry understand their obligations and duties. Both The School Premises Regulations 2012 (England) and the Building Bulletins set out standards to observe the quality and maintenance of toilet and washing facilities, medical accommodation, health and safety and welfare, acoustics, lighting, water supplies and outdoor spaces fit for physical education. As it stands, according to Global Action Plan, an estimated 3.4 million British children are learning in an unhealthy environment due to high levels of small particle pollution. Regulations will change to account for issues such as the direct impact of poor air quality in indoor spaces, particularly as their impact on wellbeing and learning are better understood, and the sector needs to be ready for it.
Fortunately, the facilities management sector is well equipped to deal with these challenges. Through outsourcing to a professional facilities management company, schools, academies, and universities can gain surety on compliance, access to records management without the IT investment, and specialist expertise in engineering and design. All of this comes without the need to have the skills permanently within their own organisation.
Schools are also realising there are other industries to support them.
For many facilities managers, smart building management technologies are part of their everyday work. School administrators and staff are realising that tasks can be outsourced, allowing them to focus on educating students. This is where schools are beginning to see real value from working with facilities management providers. Not only can they deliver a basic level of service that guarantees compliance in line with relevant legislation, but they can also support educational facilities to overcome complex challenges. For example, by drawing on their extensive expertise in meeting carbon reduction targets by optimising heating and lighting systems.
As the demands on schools increases and easy fixes have been ticked off, this is going to be even more important as schools look at introducing technologies such as renewable energy solutions to their estates.
Facilities management now has the opportunity to lead the school estate revolution.
Facilities management will play a crucial role helping schools, colleges and universities adapt and upgrade to solve the complex problems that they are now being given responsibility for. The facilities management sector has a broad level of knowledge, acquired in the commercial sector, to draw on in making this a reality. In delivering the best learning environment possible, the two sectors need to work together to make sure the future resilience of our school estates is secured’.
