The summer holidays are here – which means the start of several schemes of work that we are project managing at schools across Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester. The building works and improvement projects are the result of the latest round of CIF funding; the Department for Education’s funding scheme for maintaining and improving academy schools, sixth form colleges and Diocese schools in England.
The school holidays is the ideal time for works to be undertaken at schools as the long break means sites are empty for a period of a few weeks. Although the summer holiday is usually six weeks long, this is often shortened by inset days, meaning the time the school is empty is often only around five weeks.
Since the results of the latest CIF funding round were announced in May, we have been busy getting organised for the approved works at several schools; including specifying and tendering and planning works so that the chosen contractors are primed and ready to undertake the project on day one of the school holidays. Due to the time constraints involved, as project managers, we use contractors that are familiar with working in schools and the importance of keeping to the planned schedule. All contractors that we employ for CIF funded works in schools are also DBS checked.
There is often a large amount of admin to undertake ahead of commencing a project within a school. All asbestos surveys are done, planning permission in place, contracts in place with building contractors, insurance in place, CDM Regulations met, building regulation applications dealt with, finance / grant applications dealt with ahead of time. Having had a busy few weeks thoroughly planning the works with schools and getting contractors in place, we are poised to get to work.
School headteachers and executives of Academies and Multi Academy Trusts can leave their schools in our capable hands over the summer holidays to project manage building works.
Some of the projects that we are undertaking this summer include:
- Classroom Extensions
- Toilet Refurbishments
- Site security works – new boundary fencing & gates
- Safeguarding improvements / entrance re-modelling
- Asbestos Removal
- Boiler plant replacement
- Hot water plant replacement
- Drainage repairs
- Electrical re-wiring
- Replacement Fire alarms
- Re-roofing of pitched roofs
- Renewal and upgrading of flat roofs
- Replacement of central heating systems
- Dry rot repairs
- Fire door replacement
- Fire safety improvement works
- Replacement of fire alarms / detection systems
So as schools head out for summer, we look forward to a busy summer of work, ahead delivering and handing over lots of projects at the end of the school holidays!
Our Education team act as School Building Consultants for several schools across Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester. We are able to assist eligible Diocese schools, academies, secondary schools, primary schools, sixth form colleges in their funding applications for CIF, which usually takes place during the autumn term. We are also familiar with all types of funding including SCA, PSDS, etc.
For more information on our services to schools, visit our education pages, or get in touch with our School Building Consultants.
