Calling all school leaders and school business managers / leaders – the fast-approaching Easter break is always considered a good time to review your school premises, especially if you need to organise and commission building works across the summer school break.
The Department for Education’s good estate management for schools (GEMS) guidance aims to help schools and responsible bodies manage their buildings and land.
The guidance includes the following:
- An interactive version of the GEMS self-assessment tool, which will automatically generate an action plan for the school
- An interactive tool to help track compliance with health and safety and building regulations and inspections
- A checklist to help reduce energy and water usage
- A health and safety section includes more information on responsibilities and guidance and links from the Health and Safety Executive
- And the skills and knowledge section includes links to ISBL’s professional standards and the competency framework for governing boards
Alongside this, the DfE has also published its asbestos management guidance for schools. This guidance aims to help schools and colleges understand their duties in relation to asbestos management and ought to be considered and read alongside the Health and Safety Executive’s duty to manage asbestos guidance and the asbestos management checklist for schools
The guidance includes the following:
- Further clarity on the role of duty holders and employers
- Practical information about what duty holders are required to do to manage asbestos effectively
- A section on what to do if things go wrong.
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