Education Property Issue 03 June-July 2024

06/2024

JUNE-JULY 2024

Special report on the latest acoustic treatments

to address noise pollution in schools

Study reveals the impact of lighting on

children with special educational needs

Nurseries launch petition to force

government to axe business rates levy

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

Comment

W E L C O M E

The impact of the

learning environment

While quality of learning is

dependent to a high degree

on the quality of teaching,

the environment also has a

significant impact on students

and staff.

Issues such as noise pollution

and lighting can have a

considerable detrimental effect

on concentration and behaviour,

particularly among neurodiverse

children.

And these are areas we are

focusing on in this edition of

Education Property.

Speaking to experts, we

examine the challenges raised by

poor acoustics and lighting levels

seen in many schools, even those

built relatively recently.

We also look at the ways these

problems can be overcome using

the most-up-to-date tools and technologies.

In this edition there is also a special report on the

Government’s recent expansion of funding for early years

childcare and the potential impact this could have on the

nursery estate, with operators looking to invest in new

properties to meet the anticipated increase in demand.

And we consider the ramifications of the Labour

Party’s plans to charge VAT on private school fees and

report on a petition by early

years providers to force the

Government to abolish business

rates for nurseries.

In a sector which is grossly

underfunded, but absolutely

critical, it is clear that more

needs to be done to ensure its

long-term success and this has

got to be done in conjunction

with industry.

Moving forward, Education

Property will continue to

highlight these challenges and

opportunities, utilising expert

opinion and insight to discover

some of the solutions.

Coming up in the next

edition, we will be looking at the

design of multi-use games areas

(MUGAs), security solutions for

educational settings, and how

offsite construction methods are increasingly being used

to deliver science facilities.

If you can help, please contact

joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

Jo Makosinski

Editor

Education Property

About Jo: Jo is the editor of Education Property, having

joined Nexus Media in November.

She has been specialising in design and construction

best practice for the past 14 years, working on the

Building Better Healthcare Awards and editing both

Building Better Healthcare and Healthcare Design &

Management magazines.

She has a special interest in the design of public

buildings including schools, nurseries, colleges,

hospitals, health centres, and libraries.

EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM JUNE-JULY 2024 | 3

Contents

Chief executive officer

Alex Dampier

Chief operating officer

Sarah Hyman

Chief marketing officer

Julia Payne

Editor

Joanne Makosinski

joanne.makosinski@nexusgroup.co.uk

Reporter and subeditor

Charles Wheeldon

Business development director

Mike Griffin

Advertising & event sales director

Caroline Bowern

Business development executive

Kirsty Parks

Sales manager

Luke Crist

Publisher

Harry Hyman

Investor Publishing Ltd, 5th Floor, Greener House,

66-68 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4RF

Tel: 020 7104 2000

Website: www.education-property.com

Education Property is published six times a year

by Investor Publishing Ltd.

ISSN 3033-3458

© Investor Publishing Limited 2024

The views expressed in Healthcare Property

are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers.

@edu_prop

linkedin.com/company/education-property-magazine/

6-9 News

We round up the latest big stories,

including a proposed review of

higher education funding, changes

to student accommodation rental

rules, and plans for a major

overhaul of the SEND education

estate in Northern Ireland

12-13 Policy

Exploring government plans to

change the admissions rules

for faith schools; and reforming

additional learning needs (ALN)

support in Wales

20

12

14-24 Finance and Property

An overview of the key trends

in real estate financing for the

education sector, including

discussing the implications of the

early years entitlement expansion;

a petition lobbying for nurseries

to be exempt from paying business

rates; and VAT charges on private

schools. Plus, we highlight some

of the main findings of a worrying

new finance report from the

Education Policy Institute and

look at the latest education

property deals

28

26-36 Building Design and

Construction

Special report exploring the key

role acoustic treatments play in

creating more-effective learning

environments. We also profile

a new collaborative Health

Innovation Hub in Glasgow, and

interview researchers who are

looking at the role lighting plays on

the delivery of education to pupils

with special educational needs and

disabilities

38

38-42 Estates and Facilities

Management

The ways in which technology such

as floor-cleaning robots can help

to keep educational facilities clean,

the nine challenges facing EFM

professionals, and Litmus partners

with AUDE to support estates

managers

44-48 Environmental

The critical role of flexible financing

in supporting higher education

sustainability goals, and why

planned new schools may be built

in areas of high pollution

49-50 People

Staffing and people news,

including the latest industry

appointments


News

The future of higher

education funding

The Office for Students (OfS) has

launched a call for evidence for views on

how it applies its powers to distribute

funding to universities and colleges in

England.

Each year, the OfS distributes around

£1.4bn through the Strategic Priorities

Grant, which supports teaching and related

activities at universities and colleges.

The OfS also distributes capital funding

to support the building and renovation of

facilities, including laboratories, specialist

teaching suites, and lecture halls.

And, recently, it allocated £450m of capital

funding for the 2022-23 to 2024-25 financial

years.

The OfS’s existing method of distributing

funding recognises the additional costs

to universities and colleges that may be

associated with teaching particular courses

or supporting students, such as those from

disadvantaged backgrounds, to access and

succeed in higher education.

The approach also accounts for strategic

priorities in higher education, including

supporting priority subjects and helping

students to continue and complete their

studies and go onto successful outcomes

after graduation.

Through the call for evidence, the OfS

is keen to hear how its approach to

distributing funding can better support

universities and colleges to deliver a highquality

education experience for students.

The call asks:

• What should the OfS be seeking to

achieve with the funding it allocates, and

how might its funding adapt in the future?

• What factors should the OfS consider

when making judgements about the

strategic priority of a course or subject

area?

• Are there areas of important provision that

are not currently supported by OfS funding

that could be considered in future?

The OfS also wants to hear how its funding

powers should be applied to support

capital investment, national facilities, and

specialist higher education providers, with

respondents being asked:

• What are your views on these types of OfS

funding?

• What is the impact of these types of OfS

funding?

Commenting on the call for evidence,

John Blake, director for fair access and

participation at the OfS, said: “The OfS is

responsible for distributing millions into

universities and colleges each year to

support students’ learning, strategicallyimportant

courses, and specialist higher

education providers.

“We recognise that the higher education

landscape has changed a lot in the years

since our current approach was established.

“Could our funding be better targeted

to support equality of opportunity for

students? What specific types of work are

Budget settlement falls short

best supported by the OfS’s funding? And,

importantly, what’s the impact of our funding

on students’ experiences?

“We want to hear from staff at universities,

colleges, and student unions, as well as

others who are interested or impacted by

these funding decisions, to share their views.

“These responses will provide important

insight to ensure our approach to

distributing this funding meets our priorities,

and those of the higher education providers

it supports, to deliver a high-quality

education experience for all students.

‘We will carefully consider all the

responses and evidence we receive as we

look to develop our future approach.”

The call for evidence closed on 23 May.

The Northern Ireland Executive has

admitted its allocation of £2.6bn for

education providers for the 2024/25

financial year ‘won’t provide sufficient

funding for the Department for

Education to do everything it wants’.

Confirming its budget for the 2024-25

financial year, which also includes an

additional £254.3m in education capital

funding, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Northern

Irish Finance Minister, said: “Since

devolution was restored, we have been

really clear this was always going to be a

difficult budget.

“The stark reality is the demands on our

finances far outstrip the funding available

many times over.

“No department has received the level

of funding it has bid for. As an Executive,

we have had to make tough choices and

prioritise the funding envelope we have.

“With increased demands on services

and rising costs, I recognise these

allocations won’t provide sufficient funding

for departments to do everything they

want — that is regrettable for all Executive

ministers.”

She added: “The Budget underlines our

commitment to health, with it receiving

over half of the total amount allocated

to departments for day-to-day costs,

including £34m to tackle waiting lists, while

education has received almost a fifth of the

funding.

“Recognising the importance of a

childcare strategy, £25m is being set aside

for this.”

Responding to the settlement, Richard

Pengelly, chief executive of the Education

Authority, which delivers all education

services in the region, said: “I don’t think

anyone in public service provision is under

any illusions that it’s going to be incredibly

difficult.

“There are some critical issues across the

education sector and I think they haven’t

had the level of investment they should

have had in recent years, and I think unless

we’re careful, that will start to appear on

the frontline, some real cracks … things like

levels of digital investment, IT security.”

6 | JUNE-JULY 2024 EDUCATION-PROPERTY.COM

News

Students slam ‘unforgivable’

rental reform plans

Higher education and student housing

organisations have hit out at the

Government’s long-awaited plans to

review Britain’s property rental system,

claiming it will threaten the availability,

affordability, and quality of student

housing across the country.

The Renters (Reform) Bill, which

received its third reading in the House of

Commons in April, aims to deliver on the

Government’s commitment to ‘bring in a

better deal for renters’, including abolishing

section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions and reforming

landlord possession grounds.

It will also legislate for reforms set out

in the Private Rented Sector White Paper

published in June 2022.

However, since it was first put in front of

politicians more than 200 amendments

have been made and the protection

originally offered to students has been

‘watered down’, critics claim.

Originally, the bill only allowed landlords

who were letting purpose-built student

accommodation to serve a Section 8 notice

— eviction for a legal reason — on a tenant.

Now they are able to serve eviction

notices on all students, including those in

the private rented sector.

The National Union of Students (NUS)

this week accused the Government of

‘folding to landlords’ lobbying’.

NUS UK vice president for higher

education, Chloe Field, said: “The Renters’

(Reform) Bill was an exciting piece of

legislation which promised to reform

Britain’s archaic rental system and provide

long-needed protections to renters.

“But right from the get-go landlords who

let properties to students lobbied to have

them excluded from the protections offered

to other tenants.

“NUS and the student movement were

delighted when the Bill was placed

before Parliament intact, with no student

exemption to its safeguards.

“But, as the Bill made its way through the

Parliamentary process, we became aware

of a continuing and concerted campaign

to force the Government to create an

unprecedented two-tier rental market,

where students would be at the mercy

of Section 21 evictions that other tenants

would be protected from.”

She added: “The student housing market

is broken, as is our higher education

system.

“The Renters’ (Reform) Bill was the one

concrete thing the Government had to offer

us.

“It promised long-needed reforms which

would lead to securer tenancies and a

market much more in tune with student

tenant needs.

“To have the Government throw this away

and ensure that landlords continue to have

all the power is unforgiveable.”

In letters to a government minister and

the Labour Party, seven higher education

and student housing groups, including

Universities UK, Unipol, and Nottingham

Trent University, warned that plans to end

fixed-term tenancy agreements (FTTAs)

for private student housing would threaten

the availability, affordability, and quality of

student housing across the country.

This is despite the latest amendment to

the Bill dictating that student housing will

be given a new ground for possession so

student landlords can retain the annual

cycle of student tenants.

The group, Student Accredited Private

Rental Sector (SAPRS), said the bill must

now be amended to ensure parity between

purpose-built student accommodation and

private student housing to avoid worsening

the student housing crisis, provided that

landlords sign up to an approved code

of conduct with quality standards and

protections for students.

Calum MacInnes, chair of the SAPRS,

said: “Anything less than parity with the

way the Bill treats the purpose-built student

accommodation sector is just not enough.

“With the pressure of end-of-year exams

and coursework, the next few months will

be incredibly challenging for students as

it is.

“The Government must ensure the

Renters (Reform) Bill recognises the

situation and offers security for private

student housing.”

The Bill will now make its way through the

House of Lords, where it will face further

scrutiny by peers.


News

SEN schools receive funding

More than half a billion pounds will

be invested in the education estate in

Northern Ireland as part of plans to

provide better support for children with

Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Education Minister, Paul Givan, has

announced a wide-ranging programme of

significant and sustained capital investment

for the development of SEND school

facilities across Northern Ireland.

Speaking in the Assembly, he said:

“Today I am announcing the biggest step

change to capital planning in education

for a generation, with an ambitious and

far-reaching programme of investment in

facilities for children with SEN, which will

transform the education and lives of our

most-vulnerable children and their families.

“It is simply not good enough that many

of our most-vulnerable children are being

educated in ageing facilities, too often

without adequate equipment and resources.

“Our special school staff, who work with

our most-vulnerable learners, need and

deserve facilities that match their skills and

expertise.”

The new SEN Capital Programme will

deliver up to eight entirely-new special

schools over the next 10 years; new builds

for a number of existing special schools; an

extension and refurbishment programme

for special schools; and accommodation for

specialist classes in mainstream schools,

as well as additional maintenance and

equipment funding.

Outlining a four-point capital investment

masterplan that will benefit every special

school in Northern Ireland, the Minister

continued: “I have put in place an annual

£5m maintenance programme for

special schools as well as £4m to provide

equipment grants to both special schools

and schools with specialist provisions to

ensure they have the right resources to

support their pupils.”

And he announced that planning of newbuild

schools for Sperrinview and Knockevin

special schools would begin immediately,

as too will capital planning for the muchneeded

second campus at Ardnashee

Special School.

He said: “Our hopes and ambitions for our

children with SEN should be the same as for

any other child.

“This programme of capital investment

is wide ranging and necessarily ambitious

and will transform the special education

provision in Northern Ireland.”

The SEN Capital Programme will have four

distinct strands:

• An annual ring-fenced resource

maintenance and equipment programme

for special schools

• Creation of additional Specialist Provision

in Mainstream Schools classes (SPiMS)

• Extension of existing special schools to

provide additional places

• New special school provision

A healthy pipeline of projects

Watson Batty Architects has announced

it will lead on a number of new education

projects across the UK.

Since the Government committed to

increase its allocation for upgrading

schools, which includes £1.8bn for the 2024-

25 financial year, the practice has reported

a surge in business that now accounts for

32% of the company’s total turnover.

This includes major new-build projects

for national contractors including Tilbury

Douglas, ISG, and modular building

specialist, Algeco UK.

Recent instructions include the design and

delivery contract for a new science block at

Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy

in Derby; and a new 1,200-place school for

the Northampton School for Boys.

And planning consent was recently

secured for a replacement school at Beacon

Academy in Cleethorpes, Tees Valley

SEND School, and Leeds City Academy,

with works also due to commence on a

replacement building for Hempland Primary

School in York.

In addition, Watson Batty is working with

the University of Leeds, Leeds Becket

University, and Loughborough University

to provide several new specialist health,

science, and engineering facilities.

Peter White, managing director, said: “We

are a 48-year-old, award-winning practice

with considerable skills in all manner

of projects across all built environment

sectors. However, in recent years we have

honed our ‘learning’ sector expertise in

line with the Department for Education

procurement strategy and formed strategic

partnerships with a number of contractors

to secure a strong pipeline.

“It is rewarding to see the growth of

net-zero carbon in operation projects in

our education portfolio with a fabric-first

approach taking precedent.

“We see strong potential in delivering

better educational facilities, and in particular

much-needed SEND provisions, nationally

through upgrading existing stock and with

the aid of modern methods of construction.

“Indeed, the recent £850m cash pledge

by Government to improve accessibility for

people with SEND is driving new upgrades

to existing estates nationwide.”

Watson Batty designed The Vine SEND

college for Leeds City Council with a

particularly-challenging brief to support

students with severe disabilities.

The now-completed two-storey building

allows students to access a broad

curriculum and specialist spaces including

rebound therapy, a physiotherapy suite,

sensory rooms, hydrotherapy pool, and

extensive life-skills centre.


News

Nursery sector calls for

stricter food standards

Industry leaders are calling

on the Government to deliver

stricter, clearer, and morespecific

food standards for

early years settings following

a survey that found that over

50% of parents rely heavily

on their nursery to feed their

children nutritious meals.

Over 10 industry leaders,

representing more than 150

early years settings across the

UK, have submitted a joint letter

to government leaders calling

for action to turn the tide on

nationwide childhood health and

obesity issues.

The letter highlights that,

with increasing access to free

childcare, more and more

parents of children under the

age of five will become reliant on

early years settings to provide

nutritious meals.

The campaign comes as a

OnePoll survey found that nearly

70% of parents were unaware

that there are no governmentbacked

regulations on what

nutritious food should consist of in early years settings.

And almost 90% of parents agreed that the

Government should do more to ensure children in

nursery are being fed well.

Jonny Player, managing director at Nursery Kitchen, is

leading the campaign and said: “The health of our children

must become an important discussion in Parliament.

“Early years settings are becoming increasingly

responsible for feeding young children and ensuring

Britain’s next generation lead healthy and happy lives.

“As industry leaders, we are in agreement that our

organisations, large and small, must have strong policies

in place that recognise the importance of proper nutrition

in early years settings, but we need political leadership

to act on the state of the nation’s health now, and instruct

lasting change.”

The letter, sent to 19 government

representatives, calls for a revision to the Early

Years Foundation Stage statutory framework,

to expand the food section, providing clear

standards for ‘nutritious’ meals.

Leaders also ask for the Eat Better, Start

Better programme to be reviewed to

encourage early years settings to invest

in and see high-quality, healthy food as a

priority.

And a letter sent to Kier Starmer, urges

Labour to give specific attention to early

years settings in its Child Health Action Plan,

which promises the healthiest generation

of children ever, but does not acknowledge

challenges at pre-school age.

Sarah Steel, chair of the Old Station

Nursery, said: “We are proud to get behind

this campaign, which we know will only

improve our children’s long-term health,

providing we all work together to face these

challenges head on.

“Our children deserve to have the very-best

start in life and that must begin with good

nutrition — a basic, but fundamental, part of

early development.

“We are coming together as an industry

with a view that we can achieve real change

for the better.”

University nursery set to open

Tilbury Douglas has handed over a

new nursery at the University of York,

increasing the childcare provision on

campus for staff, students, and local

families.

The purpose-built facility, which is located

opposite York Sports Village, provides care

for more than 90 children in Heslington.

York Campus Nursery includes five

age-appropriate rooms, each with its own

dedicated indoor and landscaped outdoor

play areas, bike and buggy stores, and dropoff

parking.

Paul Ellenor, regional director for Yorkshire

and the North East at Tilbury Douglas, said:

“We are delighted to have successfully

completed this new nursery building, helping

the university deliver on its commitment to

provide an excellent childcare provision for its

staff and students, and growing links with the

local community.”

During the project the Tilbury Douglas

team hosted two T-Level placements

and a site visit for York College students,

as well as taking part in the Skills for Life

Apprenticeship Fair in York.

In addition, team members took part in a

digital volunteering day for a local community

group, and at the start of the project arranged

a visit from Father Christmas for children at

the existing nursery.

Dr Joss Ivory, chief operating officer at the

University of York, said: “We are delighted

to have welcomed the first children to our

amazing new nursery in Kimberlow Lane.

“The facility demonstrates a significant

investment and commitment to providing

exceptional childcare for children from the

local area and University of York community.

“We are incredibly grateful to the delivery

team and our staff for the passion and

commitment shown throughout the project

and we look forward to the years ahead and

supporting new and existing families in our

outstanding new nursery.”


News

Ceremony marks start of

work on new high school

A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark

the start of work on the replacement Liberton High

School in Edinburgh.

The school is being constructed by Balfour Beatty to

Passivhaus standards and is due to be completed in

early 2026, with the old school then being demolished

within a year.

The school will have capacity for 1,200 pupils with

classrooms, studios, workshops, and science labs

connected to shared collaborative areas and breakout

spaces, providing learners with more personalisation

and a choice over their learning environment.

Associated sports facilities will include a floodlit multiuse

games area, basketball court, and athletics facilities.

The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and

mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports

block and a new fitness suite and dance studio will be

provided to complement the existing facilities.

The building has been designed to be highly energy

efficient and will utilise high-performance windows and

doors and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to

reduce carbon emissions, improve indoor air quality, and

decrease heating bills.

A key part of the new school will be the community

campus features as it will include non-educational

facilities such as a café, library, and flexible workspaces.

Hector MacAulay, managing director of Balfour Beatty

Scotland, was joined by headteacher, Alison Humphreys,

at the ground-breaking ceremony, with current school

pupils and representatives from the City of Edinburgh

Work will begin next week

on the first phase of a £70m

project to build the new

Ballycastle Shared Education

Campus in Northern Ireland.

The Department for

Education has appointed

Heron Bros contractors to

build the modern, state-ofthe-art

facility, which will be

shared between Ballycastle

High School and Cross and

Passion College and will be

funded primarily through Fresh

Start funding for Shared and

Integrated Education.

The new campus will

accommodate approximately

1,200 pupils from both schools

and will be constructed on the

existing school sites.

The first phase of construction

work will see the creation of a

hockey pitch, multi-use games

area (MUGA), and main school

building.

Council and the Scottish Government also in attendance.

MacAulay said: “It was an honour to join with colleagues and pupils from

Liberton High School today to mark this important occasion.

“As we embark on the next phase of the project with construction now

underway, we remain committed to delivering a modern, safe, and sustainable

learning estate that will enhance and support communities and improve the

lives of families in the local area.”

Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children, and families convener at the City

of Edinburgh Council, added: “Our new school campuses are innovatively and

sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next

generation of young people, creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment.

“The Liberton Community Campus is a really-exciting project which provides

an amazing opportunity to create a community lifelong learning and sports hub

to replace the existing school.

“This means public services can be co located with links to active travel

networks, green infrastructure, and public transport networks.”

£70m education campus project gets underway

The work is expected to take

two years and will be followed

by the construction of a sports

building, with completion of all

works expected by the summer

of 2027.

The main campus building

and sports hall will be located

on the current Ballycastle High

School site, while the Cross and

Passion site will accommodate

outdoor sports facilities and a

changing pavilion.

Samuel Stevenson &

Sons has provided design

consultancy for the project.


9 October

IET London: Savoy Place

Exclusively for headteachers,

bursars and senior

management

REGISTER NOW

independentschoolmanagement.co.uk

Confirmed Speakers

Sir Anthony Seldon

Keynote Speaker

David Woodgate

CEO of Independent Schools’

Bursars Association

“Remodelling your school

business”

Kristine Scott

Harrison Clark Rickerby

“Go Commercial! The

benefits of ditching

charitable status and how

to go about it”

Daniel Cohen

MTM Consulting

“Admissions: how to get it

right & strategies to

attract more parents”

Durell Barnes

The implementation of the

Independent Schools

Inspectorate's new inspection

framework, highlighting what

to watch out for

Carolyn Reed

Reed Brand Communications

“Engaging with parents

more effectively”

Policy

Lifting the

faith school cap

Exploring government plans to change the

admissions rules for faith schools

Plans unveiled by the Department for

Education to change the rules around

faith school admissions could lead

to the creation of new schools across the

country.

Faith groups currently run some of the

best schools in the UK, including in some

of the most-disadvantaged areas.

But current admissions rules mean

religious free schools are only allowed to

offer 50% of places to pupils based on faith.

And some providers say this cap

discourages them from opening new

academies.

To make sure as many children as

possible can access the quality school places

religious schools offer, the Department

for Education (DfE) has announced a

consultation on whether to lift the cap to

support faith school providers to open new

learning establishments.

THE CHALLENGE

The consultation has been launched

alongside proposals to open new special

faith-based academies to create more places

for children with special educational needs

and disabilities (SEND).

Currently, the 50% faith cap means

Image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

that if a new faith or church free school is

oversubscribed, it can only prioritise pupils

based on faith for half of the places.

This means that at least half of the school’s

available places must be allocated without

reference to faith-based admissions criteria.

As a result, some faith groups have

felt unable to open new free schools and

discouraged from bringing existing schools

into academy trusts.

The consultation will look at lifting this

cap, meaning new free schools would be

able to offer more places to pupils based on

faith.

Building on the DfE’s work to improve

standards, the consultation will also explore

how faith providers can use their expertise

to open special faith-based academies for

the first time.

This will support faith school providers

to open more schools across the country,

creating more places for all children.

HELPING SEND SCHOOLS

The Governments wants to make sure

that all children and young people who

need specialist support have access to it,

so it is important that all strong providers,

including faith schools, can open schools

for children with SEND to help meet the

need for places.

Currently, faith-based providers cannot

open special schools.

The consultation will look at how this

could be changed to maximise the benefits

offered by high-quality academy trusts,

including by opening special faith-based

academies for children with SEND for the

first time.

And these schools would admit pupils on

the basis of their need, not their faith.

Changing the policy to allow special

academies to be designated with a religious

character would encourage high-quality

faith school providers to apply to establish

new special academies and free schools

within their multi-academy trusts, helping

meet the increased need for places for

children with SEND.

WHAT IS AN ACADEMY?

Academies are state-funded schools.

However, unlike other state-funded

schools, they are independent from local

authorities and are instead run by academy

trusts.

Trusts are not-for-profit companies and

can be multi-academy trusts (MATs)which

run several academies or single-academy

trusts that run just one.

They have more flexibility around what

they teach, teachers’ pay and conditions, the

length of the school day, and term dates.

Some academies used to be local

authority-maintained schools and others

are new schools, known as free schools,

which are established to create more school

places in a local area.

New data shows that over half of statefunded

schools are now academies.

RAISING STANDARDS?

Analysis shows that, on average, academy

schools improve standards quicker than

equivalent local authority-maintained

schools.

Being part of an academy trust helps to

improve standards because the best leaders

can take responsibility for supporting

more schools. This develops great teachers

and allows schools to focus on what

really matters — teaching, learning, and a

curriculum that is based on what works.

A survey found more than 75% of

recently-converted schools reported that

the overall impact of joining a multiacademy

trust was positive.

Around 90% of these felt that the

positive impact either met, or exceeded,

their expectations.

And high-quality multi-academy trusts

have been key to the increase in standards in

schools since 2010. n


Policy

More funding and consistency for

children with additional needs

The Welsh Cabinet Secretary

for Education has set out how

she will ensure additional

learning needs (ALN) reforms

are being implemented

consistently across schools

and local authorities.

Lynne Neagle has also

announced £20m in funding

for Welsh schools to improve

facilities for learners with ALN.

During a debate on ALN

reforms last week, she said:

“Excellent work is happening to

support learners with additional

learning needs across Wales and

I have made it my job in the first

few weeks to listen to parents,

schools, local authorities, and

the health sector to see what is

happening on the ground.

“I want to act now to improve

the implementation of the

ALN system, focusing on the

fundamental issues that are

being raised with me.

“We have already extensively

reviewed implementation,

but I want to see further

improvements to make the

system more consistent across

Wales.

“The extra £20m, as part of

our Sustainable Communities

for Learning Programme,

will continue to make a huge

difference to the education of

learners with additional learning

needs.”

Scotland’s chief inspector of education

has announced there will be a review of

school inspections.

Janie McManus has revealed the review

will look at the current inspection framework

and approaches with the aim to develop

a new quality framework and adapt and

enhance approaches to school inspections.

Outlining her vision for the review, she said:

“I am pleased to initiate this critical review.

“We aim not only to evaluate our

current school inspection frameworks

and approaches, but also to innovate and

improve them to ensure inspection serves

Education Secretary, Lynne Neagle; deputy headteacher and additional learning needs coordinator,

Mrs S Tomos, and headteacher, Rhydian Lloyd, of Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun Y Nant

The £20m will help with

building upgrades and updating

sensory areas, specialist

equipment upgrades, specialist

classrooms, and outdoor

spaces, as well as improving

the additional learning provision

through the medium of Welsh.

Over the last three years

the Welsh Government has

invested an extra £60m in

ALN infrastructure as part of

its Sustainable Communities

for Learning Programme and

protected the extra investment

of £56.3m to implement reforms

and boost resources in schools,

further education, and local

authorities.

In 2022 Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun

Y Nant in Barry received a

grant of nearly £214,000 which

was used to create and equip a

specialist ALN resource centre at

the school. This will also increase

Welsh language provision for

ALN learners.

Rhydian Lloyd, headteacher

Review of Scottish schools inspection process

Scotland’s education community.”

The review will explore various aspects

of the school inspection process including

the How Good Is Our School? 4th edition

framework; activities before, during, and

following an inspection; and how inspectors

report their findings.

McManus said: “Scotland’s learners have

always been at the heart of inspection, and

they will be at the heart of this review.

“Our goal is to ensure that the voices of all

stakeholders are heard — learners, teachers,

parents, and carers.

“Their views are invaluable to foster an

at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun Y

Nant, said: “We are noticing a

significant increase in pupils

presenting with ALN, particularly

those with autism spectrum

disorder and significant social

communication, interaction,

anxiety, and regulation

difficulties.

“By establishing our resource

base, we can further support

these pupils and in doing so

improve the provision for some

of our most-vulnerable learners.”

environment of continuous improvement that

benefits children and young people.”

The inspection teams will now begin

detailed planning and scoping of the review,

including stakeholder engagement plans

to gather a diverse range of insights from

across the education sector.

McManus said: “This review is a pivotal

opportunity to update our school inspection

practices.

“I want to ensure that school inspections

remain relevant, supportive, and rigorous,

fostering a culture of continuous

improvement across Scotland’s schools.”


Finance and Property

The expansion of early years childcare is expected to increase the

demand for nursery places, leading to a need for additional space

Implications of changes to

early years entitlement

Exploring the impact on the property market of the Government’s extension to early years care

As the Government announces the

launch of the first phase of the

biggest-ever expansion in early years

childcare, there are continuing concerns

over the ability of nurseries to expand

their buildings to accommodate tens of

thousands of additional children.

From April 1 working parents of two

year olds have been able to access 15 hours

a week of government-funded childcare —

freeing thousands of couples from having

to choose between having a family and a

career, as over 150,000 children are on track

to secure government-funded places.

And, by September 2025, the full rollout

will be completed, with working parents

able to access 30 hours from the end of

maternity leave to when their child starts

school, saving parents an average of £6,900

a year.

But the move has led to concerns over

staffing levels and the ability of the nursery

estate to expand in order to meet the

anticipated demand the measures will bring.

This is despite a £100m government

capital funding pot, announced in October

last year, to support an increase in physical

space for early years and wraparound care.

STAFFING LEVELS

Neil Leith, chief executive of the Early

Years Alliance, said, while welcome, the

cash would not help nurseries unless

underpinned by a robust workforce plan,

adding: “The fact is that all the physical

space in the world won’t achieve anything

if we don’t have sufficient early years staff to

deliver places and meet increased demand

from families.

“It is vital that the Government ensures

we have the infrastructure in place to

deliver the places it has promised to families

— but while supporting providers to

increase physical capacity is a part of this, it

is only a small part.

“As such, we continue to urge the

The fact is that all the physical space in the

world won’t achieve anything if we don’t have

sufficient early years staff to deliver places and

meet increased demand from families



Nursery group, Storal, is among operators increasing their property portfolio in the sector with the recent purchase

of Anglia Sunshine Nurseries in Suffolk, taking it to 32 registered settings across England. Image: Christie & Co

Government to focus its efforts on

building and sustaining a strong, stable

early years workforce by ensuring fair rates

of pay through adequate funding rates,

professional respect and recognition, and

clear career progression. Anything less,

and parents around the country looking

forward to accessing the extended early

entitlement offer next year are likely to be

left sorely disappointed.”

In response to comments on staffing,

the Government said it was launching a

major national recruitment campaign,

and providing over £400m of additional

investment to uplift funding rates in

2024-2025.

On top of this, the Government will

increase rates over the next two years

by an estimated £500m, the Chancellor

confirmed at the Spring Budget.

WATCH AND WAIT

The new rules are also impacting on the

real estate market, with increased interest

among investors and nursery operators

in acquiring both single assets and larger

nursery property portfolios.

Bright Horizons has been adding to

its portfolio over the past year, including

renovating a former office building in

Shepherd’s Bush, London, into a new nursery

and pre-school; and repurposing a care home

to provide a new early years setting in Enfield.

And Kids Planet has grown its portfolio

to 191 settings across the UK since 2008

and said is it ‘continuing to look to acquire

new nurseries while seeking development

opportunities’.

One of its most-recent purchase was

Nurture Me Day Nursery in Lutterworth,

Leicestershire, a sale overseen by Christie

& Co.

During 2023, Christie & Co brought

236 day nurseries to the market and over

the coming months it expects operators

and investors will be assessing the

implications of the recent changes before

deciding whether to expand their property

portfolios.

Nick Brown, director and head of

brokerage for childcare and education at

Christie & Co, told Education Property:

“The anecdotal feedback we have been

receiving is that a lot of operators have

been waiting to see how the initial rollout

unfolds on the funding front, while also

waiting to see what impact the expansion

may have on demand from parents for

September places, ahead of making any

huge investments into expansion.

“It’s early days with regards to the

Nick Brown

expanded funding rollout, and it won’t be

fully implemented until September 2025;

but while the initial signs are positive, and

anecdotally we are hearing from providers

that new enquiries and registrations are

increasing, there are some challenges that

must be overcome if the expansion is to be

a success.

…while access to capital funding to facilitate

such expansion will be at the forefront of

the mind, so too will the need to attract and

recruit appropriate, qualified, experienced

staff to be able to operate



The recent sale of Marlow Day Nursery in Buckinghamshire attracted interest from existing

operators, first-time buyers, and those looking to re-enter the sector. Image: GoogleEarth

OPPORTUNITIES

“The sector has been going through

workforce challenges and should providers

seek to increase capacity, be that through

the conversion of existing ancillary space,

expansion into new premises, or the new

build development of facilities; while

access to capital funding to facilitate such

expansion will be at the forefront of the

mind, so too will the need to attract and

recruit appropriate, qualified, experienced

staff to be able to operate.”

He added: “Outside of the extended

entitlement announcement, many early

years providers are on the lookout for

new business development opportunities

including expanding into new geographic

locations, and opportunities that are also

closer to home whereby they can create new

provisions via purpose-built and purposedesigned

settings which award educational

and operational advantages.”

Types of properties being sought differ

across the country, but operators are

generally looking for properties with space

for 60-plus children in buildings with a

floorspace of around 3,000-4,000sq ft,

according to Brown.

He adds: “Often, experienced operators

can come up with ideas on how to make

what may, at first, seem not to be the best

building for a nursery, an amazing setting

which becomes very popular, especially

in areas where property and space are at a

premium.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

“The change in planning class also has

the potential to ease issues around what

was formerly properties needing D1

planning, so buyers have been able to look

at alternative properties in the E class where

previously this was much more difficult.”

When looking for vacant properties to

facilitate expansion, he advises contacting

general commercial property agents active

in the local area.

“Speak with and register an interest with

agents who have teams that specialise in the

day nursery sector,” he adds.

“Get close to the brokers most active in

the sector and form a relationship with

them. Most will be seeing opportunities

across the country every week and if you are

clear on what you are looking for then this

could be an easy match.”

Bright Horizons repurposed a former care home to provide a new nursery in Enfield

…experienced

operators can come

up with ideas on

how to make

what may, at first,

seem not to be

the best building

for a nursery, an

amazing setting

which becomes very

popular, especially

in areas where

property and space

are at a premium

Other options include:

• Set up a search criteria with Rightmove

commercial

• Contact the local authority commercial

property and estate management

departments. They may have suitable

properties they are looking to lease/sell

• Register with commercial property

auctioneers (for freeholds)

• Speak with local developers, especially

housing and commercial developers, as

they may have section 106 requirements

for day nursery development as a

condition of their wider planning/

development consents

• Be eagle-eyed when travelling through

the area you are looking in and be

open to looking at properties that

offer potential, but may need planning

consent for a change of use

Brown said: “Like with anything, the best

opportunities won’t hang around for long.

“When seeking to raise finance

for expansion, creating a robust and

comprehensive business plan should enable

banks to appraise commercial mortgage

applications, but be mindful that operators

could be bidding against cash buyers so a

compelling case for them to choose you

as their preferred party along with speedy

access to finance will be key.” n


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Inside issue 01, February-March 2024

• Best practice in the design of educational

facilities

• Investing in the next generation of schools,

colleges, and nurseries

• Meeting the net-zero carbon challenge

• Driving efficiency in the education estate

• Market and industry insight

Inside issue 02, April-May 2024

• Special report on the design of purposebuilt

student accommodation

• How modern methods of construction are

creating a new generation of educational

buildings

• Guidance supports estates professionals to

get the most from their sites



Schools could

lose £1bn in

funding by 2030

A new report from the Education Policy Institute reveals that schools

in England face a number of challenges when it comes to funding

Real-terms increases in

per pupil funding over

the remainder of the

decade could still result in

cuts to school budgets, due

to significant falls in pupil

numbers, reveals the Education

Policy Institute (EPI).

Under a scenario where per

pupil funding is increased by

0.5% in real terms each year,

total school funding would fall

by £1bn between 2024-25 to

2029-30, a new EPI funding

model has predicted.

London and the North East

are projected to experience the

largest falls in funding, across

both primary and secondary

phases.

And primary schools are

set to be the hardest hit, with

total funding projected to fall

by 5.6% between 2023-24 and

2029-30.

Over the same time period,

total funding for secondary

schools will increase until 2026-

27, before it also begins to fall.

THE IMPACT OF

POLICY

The analysis has revealed

the significant impact that

projected falls in pupil numbers

could have on school funding

across England, showing

the challenges that these

demographic changes will

present to the financial health

of educational establishments.

The report is the first to

use EPI’s new school funding

model, which replicates the

Department for Education’s

own national funding formula

‘’

STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOLS BLOCK OF THE

NATIONAL FUNDING FORMULA, 2023-24

Source: The national funding formulae for schools and high needs, 2023-24. DfE, July 2022

move funding allocations towards a ‘hard’

‘’

(NFF) and allows researchers to

analyse the impact of potential

funding policy decisions on

individual schools and areas of

the country.

Using this model, researchers

project that overall funding

for primary and secondary

maintained schools will fall to

£41.6bn by 2029/30, down

from a peak of £42.7bn in

2024/25, even if pupil-led perpupil

funding is increased in

real terms.

And, as the overall schools

budget for all of the projection

period is not yet known, the

EPI uses a central estimate of

a 0.5% real terms increase in

pupil-led per-pupil funding, per

year.

With the projected changes

to pupil numbers varying

throughout the country, the

report also examines how

school funding will be impacted

across different geographic

areas.

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUPILS IN MAINSTREAM

SCHOOLS, SECONDARY, 2022/23 — 2028/29

–

PLACE PLANNING

Falling pupil rolls are one of

the key challenges facing any

Government over the next

decade.

And, with over half of all

schools now academies, local

authorities are in a difficult

position of being responsible

for place planning, but unable

to direct academies to adjust

their admissions numbers, says

the report.

Key findings show that total

pupil numbers in state-funded

primary and secondary schools

are projected to fall from a peak

of 7.57 million in 2022-23, and

then decrease at an average rate

of 1% each year until they reach

7.14 million in 2028-29.

This means that even under

a scenario where per-pupil

funding is increased by 0.5% per

year, overall funding would still

fall by £1bn by 2029-2030.

Total funding would peak in

2024-25 at £42.7bn, but would

then decrease by a yearly average

of 0.5% until 2029-30, where it

would fall to £41.6bn — 2.6%

lower than its peak in 2024-25.

And primary funding will be

overtaken by secondary funding

in 2026-27.

A DOWNWARD TREND

In 2023-24, total funding for

primary schools was 5.9%

higher than total funding for

secondary schools.

The report reveals that

primary funding will decrease

until it is overtaken by

secondary funding in 2026-27,

when both funding totals begin



PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN PUPIL NUMBERS AT REGIONAL

LEVEL, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, 2022/23 — 2028/29

–

TOTAL FUNDING FOR MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS,

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, 2023-24 — 2029-30

–

a downward trend.

By 2029-30, secondary

funding will be 1.2% higher

than primary funding.

All regions will experience

a decrease in primary school

funding between 2023-24 and

2029-30, with the North East

projected the largest decrease

of 9%.

The East of England is

projected the smallest decrease,

with just a 1.2% drop in

funding

In secondary schools, all

regions with the exceptions of

Yorkshire and the Humber,

the North East, and London

are projected to experience an

increase in funding between

2023-24 and 2029-30.

The East of England is

projected the largest increase at

4.9%

For local authorities,

Lambeth is projected the largest

decrease in funding, with

21.2% at primary and 15.7% at

secondary.

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

The largest increase in funding

between 2023-24 and 2029-30

is projected to occur in Central

Bedfordshire with a rise of

13.1% primary and 17.8% at

secondary.

If changes in pupil numbers

in parliamentary constituencies

are consistent with those

in their constituent local

authorities, the largest drop

in funding is projected in

Streatham, decreasing by


secondary.

South West Bedfordshire is

projected the largest increase,


secondary

And the report states that

if decreases in funding due to

falling pupil numbers were

‘reinvested’ and funding was

maintained at peak levels of

2024-25, funding could be

increased by a further £148 for

primary pupils, and £164 for

secondary pupils by 2030.

In future work, EPI plans

to investigate how funding

could be weighted more heavily

towards schools with greater

numbers of disadvantaged

pupils, to help tackle the

widening attainments gaps that

these pupils face.

‘’

SCALE OF CHANGE

Robbie Cruikshanks, researcher

at the EPI, said: “The scale of

change projected in the pupil

population presents major

policy challenges to future

governments.

“Most school funding

is allocated on a per-pupil

PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN TOTAL FUNDING AT REGIONAL

LEVEL, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, 2023-24 — 2029-30

–

–

basis. As a result, falling pupil

numbers can mean lower

budgets for schools while not

lowering costs in the same way,

given these are largely fixed.

“Managing this fall in pupil

numbers means that, in many

areas of the country, the number

of pupils that are admitted to

schools will inevitably fall. This

could then lead to mergers to

ensure that schools remain

financially viable, or even school

closures.

“One of the key challenges

facing the system is that

pupil place planning remains

the responsibility of local

authorities, but ultimately

they have no statutory levers

to direct academies to adjust

admissions numbers.

“Policymakers must carefully

consider the impacts of changes

to the national funding

formula on schools that are

most affected by falling pupil

numbers and how best to

redistribute any savings created

by these falls.” n

Policymakers must carefully consider the impacts of

changes to the national funding formula on schools

that are most affected by falling pupil numbers and how

best to redistribute any savings created by these falls



Image: Alicja from Pixabay

Early years —

the ‘forgotten sector’

A new petition is lobbying the Government to abolish business rates for early years providers

A

Parliamentary petition has been

launched to push for early years

providers in England to be exempt

from paying ‘unfair’ business rates.

Debbie Moliterno, owner of Cheeky

Monkeys Two Day Nursery in Bedford

and co-owner of Cheeky Monkeys Day

Nursery in Borehamwood, has launched the

action, which is supported by the National

Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) and

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

It comes as research by the NDNA

reports that the average nursery in England

pays £21,034 per year in business rates.

For many, bills are much higher,

especially in London and other large cities.

And the revaluation exercise in 2022

increased bills by an average of 40% for

nurseries.

Early years providers in Wales and Scotland

have been exempt from paying business

rates for a number of years because their

governments acknowledge the social good

that they do, their financial pressures, and the

government-funded places they deliver.

CHANGING TIMES

Jonathan Broadbery, director of policy

and communications at the NDNA,

told Education Property the policy was a

throwback to the time when nurseries were

run more like private businesses and before

government-funded childcare.

He said: “We are moving towards a time

when up to 80% of early years hours are

government funding.

“It is not fair to keep rating them as

purely-private businesses because they are so

integral to delivering these extra hours and

so closely regulated by the Government —

on everything from the amount of outdoor

space to floor space.

If the Government is serious about supporting

parents with their childcare bills, they need

to remove this tax and support the early

years sector so they can get on with the job of

educating our youngest children and helping

them reach their full potential



“Something has to give because when

you look at schools and academies, they

are subject to business rates, but the

Government pays these directly. They get a

bill and the Government pays it for them.

“We need to either move to a point where

it is the same for early years providers, but that

takes a lot of admin, so it is much easier to do

what they do in Scotland and Wales and say

this particular type of building is exempt.

“They did it in COVID and they can do

it again now with a stroke of a pen.”

MEETING DEMAND

NDNA chief executive, Purnima Tanuku

OBE, added: “With the Governmentfunded

childcare expansion ongoing, early

education and care providers are working

extremely hard to meet local demand.

“The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates

that the Government will soon be paying

for 80% of hours in nurseries. However,

providers’ budgets are stretched, and they

are making an average loss on places for

three and four year olds of £2.36 per hour

per child.

“Exempting them from paying business

rates — which school settings do not have

to pay — would really help towards their

overall sustainability.

“We need a thriving early years sector

to fulfil the Government’s ambitious

expansion plans, not a shrinking one.

“If the Government is serious about

supporting parents with their childcare

bills, they need to remove this tax and

support the early years sector so they

can get on with the job of educating our

youngest children and helping them reach

their full potential.”

Moliterno told Education Property:

“As providers of early education and care,

we want to do the absolute best for our

children, but we are trying to meet legislative

requirements while being underfunded and

having to pay business rates.

“If we all stick together then we will be

able to make a difference and help stop

more quality nurseries from being forced to

close down.

“We are simply the forgotten sector.”

SUPPORTING PROVIDERS

And Tina McKenzie, policy chair at the

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB),

said: “Small childcare providers are having

to deal with a barrage of ever-increasing

operating costs, with utilities, employment

costs, rent, and business rates bills all

stacking up.

“At the same time these nurseries and

pre-schools must meet strict requirements

to ensure staffing levels and have up-to-date

training, all while working hard to keep

up with the current increasing demand for

childcare places and providing quality care.

Taking business rates bills out of the equation

with a 100% rates relief scheme in England —

matching the crucial support given to nurseries

in Scotland and Wales, which are facing the

same issues — would make a huge difference to

small childcare businesses across the country

“Taking business rates bills out of the

equation with a 100% rates relief scheme in

England — matching the crucial support

given to nurseries in Scotland and Wales,

which are facing the same issues — would

make a huge difference to small childcare

businesses across the country.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic in

2020-21, nurseries in England were given

100% rates relief, followed by a 66%

reduction the following year due to the

essential nature of their business.

And an NDNA survey discovered that if

they did not have to pay business rates, 61%

of nurseries would be able to pay their staff

more; 50% would reduce business losses,

and 41% would reduce their fee increases to

parents.

THE NEXT STEPS

The Parliamentary petition will run for six

months and, if it attracts 10,000 signatures,

the Government will be required to review

it and respond.

If it exceeds 100,000 signatories, it will be

eligible for a formal debate in Parliament.

Broadbery said: “We currently have

around 3,000 signatures and with an

election coming up, we need to show there

is a strength of feeling and demonstrate that

it is not just childcare providers who want

this, but parents too.

“Providers tell us that if they weren’t

paying rates, they could pass on these

savings to litigate some of the fee increases

parents are facing.” n



Estates implications

of changes to VAT and

endowment fees

This article looks at the impact on the estate of Labour’s proposals to change the rules around

permanent endowment fees and VAT charges on private school income

The Labour Party’s controversial

plans to charge VAT on private

school fees if it wins the next

general election will put pressure on estates

managers to use their assets more efficiently,

according to Molly Skinner, an associate

at property

consultancy,

Fisher German.

The party’s

manifesto outlines

its intention to

remove the current

VAT exception

for education

provided by

Molly Skinner

private schools in

an effort to raise tax revenue and improve

standards in state schools.

But, while many schools warn this could

lead to closures, Skinner believes the threat

could be countered if they make better use

of their estates.

She said: “The party’s announcement to

charge 20% VAT on private school fees and

clamp down on any possible avoidance by

parents leaves schools with a stark choice.

“Schools could choose to absorb the

cost, heavily impacting their cash flow; pass

the costs onto parents, inevitably reducing

pupil numbers; or reduce the number of

bursary and scholarship places, which

reduces opportunities for less-well-off

children.

“None of these options are ideal, and

most private schools will have to make some

very difficult decisions should Labour be

elected and follow through on its pledge.

UTILISING ASSETS

“But, in my experience working with the

education sector at Fisher German, schools

don’t always utilise their property assets to

generate the most income and save money,

and some are paying far too much for

certain outgoings.”

She adds: “In terms of best utilising

assets, many schools do not realise just how

valuable their property can be.

“As part of an asset review, we undertook

for Moulton College in Northamptonshire,



we identified four buildings on the edge of

the campus, no longer suitable for educational

purposes, which we have since let.

“This has, in turn, generated additional

income to be invested back into the college.

“Other ways schools may be

overspending is by using old-fashioned

methods of powering their buildings.

CARBON REDUCTION

“We have recommended certain schools

install discreet solar panels to save on

electricity bills, and to generate an extra

source of income with carbon credits.

“The installation of other infrastructure

such as telecom masts in a quieter area of

the school’s property is another way of

bolstering income.”

She advises speaking to consultants to

identify opportunities for savings and

improved utilisation of buildings.

“Many decision-makers may not

know where to start when it comes to

identifying these opportunities on top of

running a busy school, but this is where

having external experts come in can help,”

she said.

“We are already helping many education

clients save money and find new streams of

income, and with Labour’s announcement

in mind, it is more important than ever that

private schools make the best use of what

they have.”

CHARITABLE STATUS

Also potentially problematic for

independent schools will be proposals to

remove the 80% business rates reduction

many independent schools currently benefit

from through their charitable status and

potentially removing charitable status

from private educational establishments

altogether.

Rachel Spruce, an associate at

Penningtons Law, said: “Charitable status is

a legal construct, conferring tax benefits in

return for benefits widely believed to be for

the public good.

“This does not mean that every

organisation with charitable aims or

activities can legally be registered as a

charity. However, it does (or is intended

to) mean that every registered charity is a

charitable organisation that meets a certain

threshold of public benefit.

“At their foundation, many fee-paying

schools were institutions set up to provide

education to those who would otherwise be

denied it, often those deemed to be ‘poor’

or ‘impoverished’.

“Fast forward to today and those roots

can seem far away, especially when school

fees can be upward of £30,000 per year,

even for those who do not board.

CHANGING THE RULES

“Going back, however, to the foundations

of such fee-paying schools, their land, assets,

and financial backing can take the form

of ‘permanent endowment’; that is to say,

capital in the form of property, cash or other

assets that are either functional, and can be

used by the charity (in the case of land and

other tangible assets), or invested (usually

cash, securities etc, although sometimes land

that is rented out) to provide an income.

“Some of the rules surrounding permanent

endowment assets have changed under the

Charities Act 2022. However, the basic

premise remains the same: significant

permanent endowment can only be sold, or

otherwise parted from, with the permission

of the Charity Commission.

“It is intended to permanently form part

of the assets of the charity to which it was

given.

“Weakening the safeguards around

permanent endowment assets risks alienating

donors, and even possibly the reputation of

the charitable sector as a whole.

“The changes brought in by the Charities

Act 2022 are starting to ripple through into

the transactional work of charities, such as

where now-obsolete land may need to be

sold, or where investments are sold or used as

security for a loan.

“However, the removal of charitable

status for a whole swathe of the sector

would remove the permanent endowment

safeguards entirely for those organisations.”

STALLING REFORM

In the case of fee-paying schools, she said it

was common for the physical buildings and

land used by the school to be permanent

Image: AI-generated (Adobe Firefly)

endowment.

“Some may be held by the schools

themselves, others through related charitable

trusts,” she adds.

“Over the years, the uses of the land may

have changed, with parts redeveloped, sold

off, or compulsorily purchased in support

of maintaining the financial security of the

registered charity school in question. This

will all (hopefully) have been carried out in

accordance with the regulatory requirements

of the time.

“The specific origins of how these

permanent endowment assets came to be

the property of the charity can be complex,

many dating back to original grants of land

that are decades, if not hundreds of years,

old.

“Unravelling all of that, for example to

allow the sale of a specific parcel of land,

such as one now cut off from the school’s

main centre of activities, can be quite the

undertaking, even when only dealing with

one specific organisation.

“Attempting to legislate to cover all

such potential eventualities would be

incredibly complex and time consuming. It

is a legal maze that could tie things up for

years, creating delay and even potentially

preventing any reform at all.

“The rationale for the Labour Party

confining its proposed changes to these

specific tax benefits perhaps finds its roots

in (among other things) the complexities of

permanent endowment.

“Removing charitable status altogether

would cause tremendous difficulties in

dealing with permanent endowment, as well

as other issues, stalling or even frustrating

potential reform entirely.” n


Finance and Property Deals

Nurturing the next generation

FIRST-TIME BUYERS ANNOUNCE

NURSERY TAKEOVER

Christie & Co has announced the sale of a Little People

Nurseries setting in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire.

Established in 1992, the Little People Nurseries setting in

Heckmondwike is a fully-managed childcare business with a

capacity for up to 78 children.

It occupies a purpose-built property that combines a homely

atmosphere with the feeling of space and light.

And its large and colourful playrooms have a modern feel with

the children being cared for in peer groups with easy access to

the outside play area.

The setting has been owned by Vicky Hallas-Fawcett since

2016 and was brought to market to allow her to downsize her

operations and concentrate on the three other settings in the

group.

Following a confidential sales process with Vicky Marsland at

Christie & Co, and with funding sourced through David Quigg at

Christie Finance, it has been purchased by Jill Dyson and Carly

Cowling, both of whom have backgrounds in primary education.

The new owners said: “Working in education allowed us to

visit nursery settings and it was often easy to understand why

children were not school ready.

“We wanted to make a real difference within our local

community, to give the children the best-possible start to

education.

“On viewing the property, we could see the potential to create

our vision as it had vast outdoor space in which we can create an

all-weather outdoor provision.

“Going forwards, we plan to heavily market the setting as it is

currently unknown in the local area.”

Nurture Me Day Nursery in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, has

been sold to Kids Planet Day Nurseries, which has more than

190 early years facilities across the UK.

The nursery was launched in 2012 by Gill Masters and Helen

Smith, who have announced their plans to retire.

The Ofsted ‘Good’-rated business caters for 106 children, as well as

operating an out-of-school and holiday club for 25 youngsters.

It was purchased by Kids Planet Day Nurseries following a

confidential sales process led by David Eaves at Christie & Co.

Clare Roberts, chief executive at Kids Planet Day Nurseries, said:

“The nursery fits well into the Kids Planet family, coming with a wellestablished

leadership team and a highly-qualified workforce.”

Eaves added: “Using our sector experience and deep market

knowledge we were able to secure multiple offers in a short space of

time and achieve a completion only six weeks from agreeing terms.

“We continue to see an exceptional level of demand for highquality

childcare businesses across the East Midlands from a range

of buyers.

“And, with demand outstripping supply in the current market, this

creates an excellent opportunity for nursery owners to maximise the

value they can achieve in a sale process.”

Former prep school

comes to market

Global property consultancy,

Knight Frank, has been instructed

by the trustees of the former

Ursuline Preparatory School in

Wimbledon to sell the school

property, with a guide price of

offers in excess of £7m.

The freehold property is offered

with vacant possession and presents

an incredibly-rare opportunity

for buyers, either as a turnkey

educational facility or with regard to its potential for alternative uses

or development, subject to obtaining necessary consents.

Last operated as a predominantly all-girls preparatory school and

nursery that has had a presence in Wimbledon since around 1892,

the property features an attractive Victorian villa as a focal point,

along with several other buildings including St Angela’s, a modern

facility which was constructed in 2015 to house the early years and

school’s offices.

Outside there is a multi-use games area and gardens.

The property extends to approximately 21,609sq ft of

accommodation across the 1.139-acre site — all situated in one of

south west London’s most-desirable residential areas.

“The sale of the Ursuline Preparatory School on The Downs in

Wimbledon presents a rare opportunity for an owner operator or

investor in the educational sector to acquire this unique asset.

Equally, it will undoubtedly appeal to other end users or developers

given its scale and location in one of London’s most-sought-after

postcodes”, said Emma Cleugh, head of education and charities at

Knight Frank.

Situated in a Conservation area on The Downs, roughly mid-way

between The Ridgway and Worple Road, the property is around

a 15-minute walk from Wimbledon Village and the leafy green

spaces of Wimbledon Common and further benefits from excellent

transport links at Wimbledon station, as well as major road routes,

including the A3 and A24, which are both less than a mile away.


Building Design

Coming together!

Exploring plans for a new Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow, which will forge partnerships between

academia, industry, clinicians, and the community in order to better tackle healthcare challenges

Academia and specialist commercial

leaders are coming together as work

gets underway on a flagship new

Health Innovation Hub in Glasgow, due for

completion in autumn 2025.

Kadans Science Partner has recently

started construction work on the precision

medicine facility in Govan, in partnership

with the University of Glasgow, and

supported by Scottish Enterprise.

It follows recent research from Savills

which revealed a huge amount of

investment in the life science sector, with

£5.6bn of venture capital being ploughed

into life science-related companies

headquartered in the UK — a 120%

increase between 2020-2021 and 500%

since 2017.

Key cities across the UK, and the rest of

the world, are seeing emerging clusters of

activity, and it is hoped that such a focus

on life sciences in Glasgow will bring huge

rewards for wider prosperity and education.

With research links to the Queen

Elizabeth University Hospital, the new

Health Innovation Hub, designed by

Hawkins\Brown, will set the stage for a

thriving life sciences cluster in the area.

It will offer laboratory and office

accommodation, attract new and innovative

businesses to the area, and deliver local

benefits to the wider community.

The flexible nature of the design also

means tenants can grow and evolve within

the building over time, making the Health

Innovation Hub their long-term home.

The project is targeting a BREEAM

‘Excellent’ sustainability rating.

Speaking to Education Property, James

Dawson, development manager at Kadans

Science Partner, said: “Developments of

this kind ar e increasingly being delivered to

drive collaboration between hospitals and

world-leading universities to better tackle

global healthcare challenges.

“Traditionally located around centres

of excellence; they provide environments

where university spin-out businesses can

grow and innovate with close collaborations

with hospitals offering new advanced

treatments.”

The state-of-the-art building, which is

being built by Morrison Construction,

has been designed to create opportunities

for collaboration between commercial

entrepreneurs, clinicians, and academics.

Dawson said: “Kadans supports the

growth of businesses through flexible design

and commercials along with soft support

such as our ecosystem services.”

Lead architect, Shirley Wong, of

Hawkins\Brown, adds: “The groundfloor

space will include a Digital Health

Validation Laboratory, operated by the

university, which will support the testing

and development of new technologies, such

as contactless stethoscopes.

“This space will enable clinicians to work

with participants to trial new medical

technologies and drive improvements in

clinical interventions and treatments.

“On the upper levels of the building there

are a variety of sizes of workspaces and

laboratories. These have been designed to be

flexible so that companies can tailor them

to their specific needs.

And Dawson said: “Collaboration and

flexibility has remained at the heart of

the design, providing space that fosters

innovation and community among the

clinician and academic occupiers.”

Externally, the building will have a rustred

façade, representing the area’s heavily

industrial past — while windows are spaced

at varying intervals, inspired by the DNA

Helix.

To reduce energy use, there will be 300sq

m of solar panels fitted on the roof and EV

chargers will be available in the carpark. n

Collaboration and flexibility has remained at

the heart of the design, providing space that

fosters innovation and community among the

clinician and academic occupiers


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

LEAGUE TABLES

GLENIGAN INDEX

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

SECTOR ANALYSIS

Housing

Industrial

Offices

Retail

Hotel & Leisure

Health

Education

Community & Amenity

Civil Engineering

Building Design

A mixed outlook for

education construction

The education construction sector is

helping to buck the trend across the

wider industry, with a slight increase in

the number of projects starting on site in

the three months to the end of April.

According to the

CONSTRUCTION

REVIEW THE GLENIGAN

latest Construction

CONSTRUCTION

Market Review from REVIEW

Reflecting activity to the end of April 2024

Glenigan, while main

> Detailed planning approvals decreased

11% against the previous year

contract awards and

> 16% decrease in main contract

awards compared with the

preceding three months

detailed planning

> 21% decline in project-starts

against 2023 levels

approvals declined

May 2024

against both against

the previous quarter and the same period

last year; more positively, project starts grew

on the preceding three months.

Totalling £1.3bn, education work starting

on site grew 2% on the three months to the

end of April 2024 to stand 7% down on the

previous year.

No major projects (worth £100m or more)

started during the period, a decrease from

the preceding quarter, but unchanged from

a year ago.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

But underlying education work starting on

site (less than £100m in value) increased 9%

against the preceding three months on a

seasonally-adjusted (SA) basis and was 7%

down on a year ago.

Education main contract awards

decreased 2% against the preceding

three months to total £1bn, with the value

remaining 36% lower than the previous year.

Underlying contract awards decreased

8% against the preceding three months, but

declined by 36% against the previous year.

And no major projects reached the

contract awarded stage, unchanged on the

preceding three months and the previous

year.

Totalling £1.2bn, detailed planning

approvals — an indicator of the future

project pipeline — fell 10% against the

preceding three months and were 12%

lower than last year.

Like project starts and main contract

awards, there were no major project

approvals.

And underlying project approvals fell 9%

against the previous three months to stand

12% down against last year.

GOOD NEWS

But there is good news for the sector as

school projects starts, which accounted for

the largest share of education construction

starts (78%), totalled £1bn, having grown

34% on the previous year.

Universities, on the other hand, fell 53%

against last year to total £131m, accounting

for a 10% share of the total sector

value.

College project starts also

experienced a weak period,

with the value having fallen 12%

against the previous year to total

£108m, accounting for an 8%

share of work starting on site.

Regionally, London was the most-active

region for education project starts during

the three months to April, accounting for

an 18% share of the sector to total £231m,

having increased 366% on last year’s levels.

Yorkshire & the Humber accounted for

10% of starts in the sector and grew 55%

against the previous year to total £127m.

In contrast, accounting for a 15% share,

Scotland decreased 10% on a year

ago to total £197m; and the South East

experienced an 11% drop on a year ago,

totalling £132m.

REGIONAL ACTIVITY

However, the South East was the mostactive

region for detailed planning

approvals, accounting for a 16% share, with

the value having grown 52% on a year ago

to total £192m.

Yorkshire & the Humber also grew 247%

in value against last year to total £154m; and

the West Midlands increased 29% against

last year to £135m.

Top contractors over the report period

were Royal BAM with 14 projects totalling

£515m; Kier with 24 projects totalling

£492m; and Morgan Sindall, with 45 projects

worth £449m.

The leading clients were the Department

for Education, with 196 projects worth

£941m; Kier, which is working on seven

projects valued at £125m; and Sheffield

Hallam University, with one project worth

£100m.

Commenting on the findings, Glenigan’s

economist, Drilon Baca, said: “The latest

data shows a continuing weak start to the

year, with investment deterred by uncertain

economic conditions.

“Education experienced a mixed period,

with the value of underlying project starts

increasing 9% against the preceding three

months to stand 7% down on a year ago.”

Education: Detailed Planning Approvals

Source: Glenigan

600

Three month average

500

400

Over £100M

Under £100M

300

200

100

0

May 22 Jul 22 Sep 22 Nov 22 Jan 23 Mar 23 May 23 Jul 23 Sep 23 Nov 23 Jan 24 Mar 24

Education: Main Contract Awards

Source: Glenigan

Three month average

Over £100M

£million

£million

Under £100M

Education: Starts

Source: Glenigan

Three month average

Over £100M

Under £100M

1000%

800%

600%

400%

200%

0%

-200%

East of England

East Midlands

£million

-20%

-48%

-45%

-79%

366%

Starts Planning Approvals

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0


700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0


Education: League Tables (May 2023 to April 2024)

Source: Glenigan

Contractors Projects £m Clients Projects £m

Royal BAM 14 515 Department for Education 196 941

Kier 24 492 Kier 7 125

Morgan Sindall 45 449 Sheffield Hallam University 1 100

Willmott Dixon 18 382 Bridgend College 2 90

Bowmer & Kirkland 17 229 Northumberland County Council 3 81

ISG 13 229 Fife Council 1 80

Galliford Try 19 153 City of Edinburgh Council 5 71

Tilbury Dougla 17 133 Exeter College of Further Educ. 1 70

Graham Construction 10 128 Royal BAM 5 69

Bouygues 4 111 Hampshire County Council 9 64

Types of Education Projects Started Three Months to April 2024

Source: Glenigan

10%

8%

4%

Colleges

Other Education

Schools

Universities

78%

Share Value of Education Starts and Planning Approvals in the Last 3 Months

Source: Glenigan

10% 10%

7%

13%

East of England

1%

3%

4%

East Midlands

11%

4%

London

10%

North East

18%

11%

Northern Ireland

7%

PLANNING

North West

STARTS

APPROVALS

South East

6%

South West

15%

3%

Scotland

5%

1%

West Midlands

14%

8%

Wales

8%

10%

5%

16%

Yorkshire & the Humber

Changes in Education Starts and Planning Approvals on a Year Earlier

Source: Glenigan

-20%

-68%

London

North East

23%

853%

0%

52%

-21%

-69%

-11%

-21%

Northern Ireland

North West

South East

South West

-14%

-10%

-37%

Scotland

West Midlands

0%

29%

-72%

-18%

55%

247%

Wales

Yorkshire

& the Humber


Building Design

Making all the right noises

In this article, Jo Makosinski explores the key role acoustic treatments

play in creating more-effective learning environments

The first thing you notice when you

walk into many school buildings

is the noise! Whether it’s teachers

giving lessons, PE classes taking place, or

just the general sound of children and staff

playing, chattering, or moving around;

there is no escaping that educational

facilities are noisy places.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. And,

increasingly, we are learning that such

noise nuisance can have a very-detrimental

impact on teachers’ ability to do their jobs

and pupils’ and students’ ability to learn.

It can also lead to sensory overload which,

in turn, can cause significant issues with

learning and behaviour.

There are few places within school

buildings where there isn’t considerable

noise pollution, from entrance halls and

corridors, to classrooms, dining halls, and

external spaces such as playgrounds.

And this is where acoustic design

becomes critical.

BAD MANAGEMENT

Jeremy Tuffin, head of major projects

at education design and construction

specialist, Envoplan, explains: “The impact

of constant loud sounds in learning areas

gives rise to students having difficulties with

reading, language, speech, and spelling, as

well as cognitive development, leading to a

lack of focus and motivation, added stress,

and negative social interaction.

“If teachers are hard to hear over the

general hubbub in classrooms, students

will feel a lack of engagement, meaning

their relationships with those trying to

teach them, and also with other pupils, may

significantly deteriorate.

“Studies show that schools featuring

bad sound management lead to a number

of disorders, including voice strain from

teachers having to shout, or hearing issues

for both students and teachers, as well as

Triangles and hexagons are increasingly used in acoustic treatments as they help distribute sound waves and reduce echoes


Building Design

Acoustic engineers can use sound-absorbing materials to reduce noise pollution in schools

Studies show that schools featuring bad sound management lead to a

number of disorders, including voice strain from teachers having to shout,

or hearing issues for both students and teachers, as well as behavioural

issues among pupils, often resulting in poorer classroom discipline

behavioural issues among pupils, often

resulting in poorer classroom discipline.”

Especially for younger learners, hearing at

an early age in the classroom means higher

levels of understanding when sounding

words out; and for all learners, sound

absorption makes it easier to hear and

understand their teachers, meaning they

will retain a greater knowledge from their

subject lessons.

The World Health Organization

recommends that noise should be less than

35 decibels in classrooms to allow for good

teaching and learning conditions.

But one study of UK primary schools

found the average to be 65dB — almost as

loud as a tumble dryer.

ESTABLISHING A BASELINE

When considering classroom environments

in particular, there are a number of

interventions that can be designed into newbuild

facilities or retrofitted into existing

buildings to help mitigate noise nuisance.

For instance, thick curtains, wall-towall

carpet, and soft furnishings can

have an instant positive impact on noise

reverberation.

But, thinking more long term, and

looking more widely across all areas of

a school estate, the first step should be

determining where noise is coming from

and how it moves round a space.

Ceilings are a popular choice for installing acoustic treatments

Envoplan introduced acoustic materials

to reduce noise in a sixth form school


Building Design

For as little as £20

you can buy an

acoustic monitoring

device and walk

through a school to

see where the main

hotspots are for noise

Bespoke solutions can reduce the visual impact of acoustic treatments

Different solutions can help to divide spaces for private and communal activities

Acoustic treatments can be retrofitted into existing spaces to address issues with noise

Dr Adam England, director and executive

consultant headteacher at Noble + Eaton,

explains: “For as little as £20 you can buy

an acoustic monitoring device and walk

through a school to see where the main

hotspots are for noise.

“We work closely with schools to trace

how noise is moving within an environment

and usually it is down to the choice of

surface materials.

“In dining halls and corridors, in

particular, there tends to be shiny, hard

flooring and if you look at a surface and it

appears shiny and reflective to the eye, then

it will be acoustically reflective too.

“Flooring sound travels upwards, so if the

flooring is reflective and so is the ceiling,

then sound will bounce around a room,

amplifying the effect and making learning

more difficult.”

This has led to an increase in the use

of sound-absorbing materials, including

cork, and technologies such as baffles in

educational environments.

SOUND ABSORPTION

Sound absorption is the term used to

describe ways in which sound reverberation

and echoes in a space are reduced via

absorption in order to enable a cleaner

sound quality.

These materials can be porous or nonporous

and may include things like foam,

open-cell mineral, fiberglass, fabrics,

cushions, throws, curtains, or carpets.

Unlike soundproofing, which creates

a barrier against sound entering or

leaving a space; sound absorption reduces

reverberation and improves the clarity of

sound, with treatments dampening the

intensity of sound waves, preventing sound

waves from reflecting off hard surfaces,

and mitigating their resulting echoes and

reverberations.

Tuffin said: “There is increased use


Building Design

of modern methods of construction

(MMC) within the education sector and

this provides huge scope for introducing

acoustic materials.

“The choice of initial construction

materials, as well as ceiling, wall, and

flooring materials, is crucial. Then we can

also look at internal surface finishes and

even fixtures and fittings — pretty much

anything can be used, both internally and

externally, to mitigate noise.

“The best approach is to specify highlyabsorbent

materials and apply them to as

many sides of the box as possible.”

MATERIAL CHOICE

When planning a new school building,

England advises first looking closely at

room adjacencies to ensure that art rooms,

music rooms, and gymnasia are sufficiently

separated from the more-quiet areas where

work takes place.

Heating, ventilation, or air conditioning

systems should also be distanced from

learning spaces, while many rooms will

require absorbent material placed high on

the walls.

Larger communal rooms, such as

assembly halls, benefit from an angled

reflective panel over the speaking area so

that the teacher’s voice projects clearly.

Even things such as bookcases and

corkboards can help absorb sound

reflections.

And evidence suggests that the shape of

baffles can also play a part in how effective

noise-reducing interventions are.

England said: “Hexagonal and rightangled

triangles are increasingly being used

as they are able to evenly distribute sound

waves, which results in better acoustics and

fewer echoes.

“Hexagon sound panels are also effective

at absorbing high frequencies, which makes

them ideal for use in spaces with lots of

hard surfaces.

“And triangles are often used as, when

placed together, they create hexagons and

work in much the same way.”

He adds: “When I was a teacher I had a

pupil fidgeting in class so I got them down

the front to sit next to me.

“I didn’t know then what I know now;

that I was putting all the noise behind them

and really lighting up their medulla and

creating problems with concentration and

mood.

“An effective acoustical engineer can

recommend appropriate additions designed

to reduce noise.

“With the right support and preparation,

any administrator can transform their

school into an acoustically-sound

environment.” n

Envoplan installed acoustic panels as part of a refurbishment project at Westminster Academy


Building Design

Mapping out a solution

Anderson Acoustics was

commissioned by Baxall

Construction to provide design

advice in relation to a proposed £5m

new-build double-storey teaching block

and single-storey canteen building for

Gravesend Grammar School.

The specialist was also asked to provide a

noise impact assessment for the proposed

new Multiple Use Games Area (MUGA)

sports pitches and car park area.

3D environmental noise mapping of the

site helped to establish acoustic performance

standards and strategy plans for noise ingress

and building envelope design, ventilation,

internal sound insulation, and control of

reverberation time.

A hybrid ventilation strategy was

specified using individual low-carbon

heating and ventilation units for each

teaching space, which provide attenuation

of external noise into the building and keep

system (fan) noise levels low during normal

ventilation conditions.

A lined timber roof cassette to provide

good control of rain noise; precast concrete

plank floor with concrete screed on

insulation to control both airborne sound

and impact; and SIPS panel partitions with

dense cement particle board, efficiently

designed to meet the minimum airborne

sound insulation targets were also advised.

Careful detailing of wall, floor, and

ceiling junctions also helps to meet sound

insulation performance targets while

balancing other design constraints.

And Class A suspended ceiling tiles

in teaching spaces and offices help to

control of reverberation time in classrooms

(estimated to be less than 0.6 seconds once

furnished), to benefit listening conditions

for all children.

In the canteen, suspended acoustic baffles

provide control of noise build-up and a

reverberation time of less than 1.0 seconds;

while in corridors, Class A ceiling tiles

provide control of noise build-up during

lesson changes.

Acoustic commissioning tests were

carried out and all minimum acoustic

performance standards were achieved

as a result of the project, even for the

unfurnished classroom condition.


Building Design

DIFFERENT, BETTER,

AND CALMER

Thackley Primary School in Bradford was

experiencing acoustic problems in its main

hall, an open-plan room used for assemblies,

performances, PE lessons, and dining.

Details of dimensions and photographs

of the building were sent to Sound

Reduction Systems (SRS), where experts

were able to model the space using software

before a member of the team visited the site

to discuss a solution.

SRS director, Alex Docherty, said: “As

soon as I was shown into the hall, it was

clear that the acoustic environment was not

ideal — the long reverberation time made

it difficult to hold a simple conversation

between a few people comfortably, let alone

when the hall was full with children.

The estimated mid-frequency

reverberation time was coming out at

(Tmf ) of 3.57s, which is far too high for a

room of this nature.

“We calculated that 75sq m of our

decorative Sonata panel absorbers would be

required to solve the problem, bringing the

reverberation time down to (Tmf ) of 1.13s,

and we provided the school with a layout

design detailing where the panels would be

installed within the hall.

“The school chose a combination of

suspended Sonata Vario panels and bonded

Sonata Aurio panels.”

Head of the School, Annette Patterson,

said of the project: “The impact of the

panels has been simply fantastic. What a

difference!

“Lunchtimes are now completely

different, assemblies are better, and PE

lessons are calmer.”

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

The StoSilent Direct acoustic ceiling system

has been installed at Somerville College

as part of a major project to upgrade both

the acoustics and the lighting of the Grade

II-listed dining hall.

“This was a complex project where the

aim was to create a much-improved acoustic

environment in the hall,” explains Sto’s

acoustics project manager, James Gosling.

“The hall is used both for dining and for

formal events, so outstanding acoustic

performance was a key requirement.

“The aim was to increase the amount of

acoustic attenuation material within the

moulded panels of the existing vaulted

ceiling, but the chosen acoustic system

also had to be sufficiently flexible to

accommodate the new lighting system

which was being installed.

“The project demanded close liaison

between ourselves, the architect, and the

applicator in order to design and install the

most-effective and appropriate solution

possible.”

Specified by Associated Architects, the

StoSilent Direct system offers a particularlyeconomical

method of minimising

reverberation times and reducing noise

levels as it can be applied directly to walls

and ceilings without the need for a subconstruction

— a feature which also makes

it quick and easy to install.

And the acoustically-porous nature of the

materials and finish textures mean the system

is highly sound absorbent and, in addition,

has a reaction to fire classification of A2-s1,

d0 in accordance with EN 13501-1.

Thomas Cotton of Associated Architects

said: “Refurbishing buildings of this age

comes with particular challenges, so it was

important that we worked with a proven

acoustic ceiling supplier and installer who

understood our requirement for highperformance

absorption with minimal

visual impact.”

BEING A GOOD SPORT

Hotham Primary School in Putney, south

west London, contacted Resonics to

provide an acoustic solution within its

sports hall following complaints of a harsh

noise environment.

Comprised of hard, reflective wall,

ceiling, and floor surfaces, the hall was

experiencing a lengthy reverberation time,

amplified by the noise of groups of students

and sport activities taking place.

Imperative was the need to reinforce the

robust, high-impact construction of the hall

to continue to allow for recreational sport.

To address the problem, Resonics

installed a series of colourful, high-impactresistant

acoustic wall panels, tailored to the

hall’s unique shape.

The high-performance acoustic panels

create the perfect sound environment in the

hall; reducing the reverberation time to a

comfortable level while still facilitating clear

verbal communication.

And their impact resistance meant

the hall could remain as a place for

recreational sport with the peace of mind

that the acoustic environment will not be

compromised.

REDESIGNING FOR

WELLBEING

Envoplan worked to help reimagine spaces

at the sixth form centre at Tormead School

in Guildford.

It was crucial that the resulting space

met academic requirements and prioritised

students’ wellbeing.

Central to the approach was to open

the existing walls and introduce glazed

elevations to brighten the spaces and

effectively manage natural light.

But this also meant controlling noise

nuisance, so wooden ceiling baffles were

installed in the main common room and

acoustic panelling was specified for the

lecture theatre.

Furthermore, the furniture booths were

acoustically treated, creating a harmonious

blend of aesthetics and functionality.

An Envoplan spokesman said: “The

redesigned spaces managed natural light

effectively, creating a brighter atmosphere

and the innovative acoustic treatments

made the space more approachable,

instilling comfort and safety.” n


Building Design

Let there be light!

New research is revealing the impact of

lighting design on SEND school pupils

Over recent years there has been an

increased focus on research into

how the design of educational

establishments can impact on learning

behaviours and outcomes.

But one element which is often

overlooked is lighting.

A study of 21,000 elementary students

in the US in 2009 showed that, over one

academic year, children who were exposed

to more sunlight during the school day

displayed 26% higher reading outcomes

and 20% higher maths outcomes than those

in less-sunny classrooms.

In the UK, however, little research has

been carried out and the Department for

Education’s (DfE’s) Lighting Guidance 5:

Lighting for Education document, which

is the go-to for designers, has not been

updated since 2011.

To address this shortfall in evidence,

University College London (UCL) has

collaborated with Dr Shelley James, an

international expert on light and wellbeing

…children who were exposed to more sunlight

during the school day displayed 26% higher

reading outcomes and 20% higher maths

outcomes than those in less-sunny classrooms

Window screening can reduce distraction from

outside while still bringing daylight into the room

at Age of Light Innovations; architectural

practices, Haverstock and Noviun

Architects; and The Hawthorns School

and Yeoman Park Academy to ascertain

the general awareness of the importance of

lighting and find simple, affordable retrofit

solutions that could be applied to spaces

to enhance the learning and wellbeing of

pupils with special educational needs and

disabilities (SEND).

TAKING CONTROL

Speaking to Education Property, Dr James

said: “The school output specification —

Lighting Guide 5 — was published more

than a decade ago and is based on nine light

fittings in a grid with little or no option for

control — the lights are either on, or they

are off !


Building Design

A cosy corner within the main classroom uses twinkling lights

and a reduced ceiling height to provide an intimate sensory space

However, previous research has found that 54% of children with

autism struggle with visual discomfort in the classroom and this

is directly linked to poor concentration, anxiety, headaches, and

behaviour issues.

SEND pupils also struggle with getting a good night’s sleep and

this has a knock-on effect on their learning.

Dr James explains: “Lighting can improve sleep. Research has

found that children exposed to brighter morning light fell asleep

earlier that day, woke earlier the following day, and went to sleep

earlier that night too.

The study looked at how different

lighting solutions could be used

in different areas of the classroom

“There really is a need to make sure that our teaching

environments are appropriate and allow pupils to flourish.”

The research centred on SEND schools as there has been little

academic focus on these very-specialised environments, and

particularly on the impact of lighting on neurodivergent pupils.

Lighting can improve sleep.

Research has found that children

exposed to brighter morning light

fell asleep earlier that day, woke

earlier the following day, and went

to sleep earlier that night too

SELF REGULATING

“If children spend the day in 300 lux lighting conditions, which is

recommended in classrooms, then go home to a computer or TV,

they live in a kind of twilight zone and their body clocks start to

free run, with disastrous consequences.

“Variable light, therefore, is hugely important to help students

self regulate.

“When we give teachers lighting controls as part of the tools they

can use, we see some extraordinary results.”

The first phase of the collaborative research concentrated on

teachers’ awareness of the impact lighting can have on pupils’

concentration and learning in two SEND schools and what

research already exists into the impact of various solutions.

To further teachers’ awareness, the first phase used simple retrofit

solutions to ascertain what might benefit the pupils the most.

And it is hoped that, while the study has concentrated on SEND

schools, it will have wider ramifications for mainstream settings in

the future to assist neurodiverse pupils.


Building Design

The main learning space in the centre of the classroom

uses grid ceiling lights that can change colour tone

throughout the day to work with children’s circadian rhythm

TRUE COLOURS

For the first phase of the research, the team

sourced low-cost, retrofit lighting devices,

including coloured films for the windows

to help regulate daylight and improve

circadian rhythm; colour-changing panels

and LED strips, which were placed around

noticeboards and in corridors; fairylights;

and interactive wall tiles. There was also

a small colour-changing chick which was

one of the most-popular interventions

among both staff and pupils, helping to

signify mood and to calm pupils, working

particularly well for non-verbal pupils.

The coloured LED lights could be altered

to reflect the days of the week and time

of day, helping to maintain all-important

circadian rhythms. The schools also found

standard tracing paper on the windows was

highly effective.

Pupils, in particular, had fun with the

colour-changing light strips and verbal

and non-verbal pupils used the interactive

chick to display mood and to help them self

regulate.

KNOWING BETTER

But, key to their success at both schools

was the element of control, enabling both

teachers and pupils to vary light levels and

colour at particular points in the day or for

specific tasks.

Dr James said: “Traditional school

lighting solutions are not designed relative

to how we teach. The teacher might be

standing at the front of the room and the

children can’t see them!

“Many of us have smart lighting in our

homes and yet we are still using gridded

Interactive lights and coloured ceiling grid lights draw

attention to, and maintain focus on, the main teaching wall

ceilings with standard light fittings in

our schools. Why are we still doing that

knowing what we know?”

Zane Putne, SEND director at Noviun

Architects, adds: “Lighting controls do not

really exist at the moment in schools. We

are keen to find potential solutions, not just

to make future schools better, but also to

find retrofit solutions for existing buildings.

“Pupils with ADHD and autism, for

example, can be more affected by extreme

colour contrast and glare and this impacts

on their ability to cope and concentrate at

school, which is already a stressful place for

many.

“SEND schools use different spaces for

different things and it is important that

lighting can be controlled within these

spaces to create zones for various activities.”

BEYOND COMPLIANCE

With schools on strict budgets, the

researched focused on lighting solutions

which were flexible; able to be retrofitted

into existing, often outdated, buildings; and

which were affordable and sustainable.

Dr James said: “Even though the lighting

complied with current regulations, teachers

were clear that the legal minimum is not

sufficient for them to support their students

effectively, especially the ability to adjust

colour temperature and brightness for

different activities across the day.

“Compliance is not enough.

“Building standards for modern

workplaces reflect new knowledge and

support diversity, but education is falling

behind.

“Simple, affordable retrofit solutions have

clear potential to improve outcomes and

teacher satisfaction and teaching teams are

ready to invest and make the effort — if

they understand why.”

The team is now taking the findings from

phase 1 of the study to inform the next

stage, which will run from September to

March and will explore more-permanent

lighting solutions across a larger number of

schools.

Putne said: “We need to be pragmatic

and focus on retrofit solutions within tight

budgets.

A GAME-CHANGER

“During the second phase we will work

with the Building Research Establishment

(BRE) and lighting specialists to continue

our research, concentrating on how we can

evaluate the results and how to integrate

elements of lighting into every school.

“We will look at how learning spaces

are used in real life and how each space

within a classroom can use lighting in a way

that supports pupils and teachers and the

function of that space.

“What we want to produce is a kit of

parts that can be put in any school.”

Anna Monaghan, an associate at

Haverstock, adds: “Currently many schools

are in temporary accommodation or older

buildings. If we can make lighting work

here, then we can do it anywhere. This

research could be a game changer for all.

“Schools have limited space, so we need

to look at how rooms can be split up and

how lighting and lighting controls can be

incorporated into these rooms to perform

for lots of different activities.” n


9 October

IET London: Savoy Place

Exclusively for headteachers,

bursars and senior

management

REGISTER NOW

independentschoolmanagement.co.uk

Confirmed Speakers

Sir Anthony Seldon

Keynote Speaker

David Woodgate

CEO of Independent Schools’

Bursars Association

“Remodelling your school

business”

Kristine Scott

Harrison Clark Rickerby

“Go Commercial! The

benefits of ditching

charitable status and how

to go about it”

Daniel Cohen

MTM Consulting

“Admissions: how to get it

right & strategies to

attract more parents”

Durell Barnes

The implementation of the

Independent Schools

Inspectorate's new inspection

framework, highlighting what

to watch out for

Carolyn Reed

Reed Brand Communications

“Engaging with parents

more effectively”

Estates and Facilities Management

Benefits of technology in

cleaning: what education can

learn from cobotics

We look at the ways technology — such as floor-cleaning robots —

can help to keep educational facilities clean and hygienic

Educational facilities can provide a range of

unique challenges for estates and facilities

management professionals, from ensuring

high-footfall locations are always safe and clean despite

hundreds of young people moving from class to class,

to making sure cleaning and maintenance regimes fit

around class timetables.

Here, Kristal Goodwin, national sales manager for

Robert Scott’s cobotics division, explores how cuttingedge

cleaning robots could be the perfect partner for

operatives working in these environments.

A GROWING TREND

The cleaning sector is experiencing a significant

transformation with the introduction of advanced

robotics and intelligent management systems.

Smart connected technologies, the rise of the Internet

of Things, and the development of AI have all made the

switch to automated systems more straightforward.

Robert Scott has partnered with cobotic design expert, Metabots, to become

the UK’s primary distributor of its cleaning robots. Pictured, Kristal Goodwin



Educational facilities,

for example, represent

a unique setting

where autonomous

cleaning robots can

enhance cleanliness

and safety in spaces

used by both students

and staff

Household-name brands have helped

boost adoption within the consumer sector

and now the commercial cleaning sector

— not least in educational settings — is

beginning to gain similar momentum.

This adoption is also being seen across

Google Trends, which have shown a decline

in enquiries for ‘deep cleaning services’ over

the course of 2021 and 2022, with searches

for ‘robot vacuum’ growing by 120%.

These technological innovations offer

clear advantages and are particularly

beneficial in environments requiring

regular sanitation. Educational facilities, for

example, represent a unique setting where

autonomous cleaning robots can enhance

cleanliness and safety in spaces used by both

students and staff.

INTEGRATING ROBOTS

There are a variety of robotic cleaning

solutions available on the market today,

each with its own benefits and limitations.

Among the various approaches, cobotics

— where robots collaborate with human

workers — stands out as a particularlypromising

field.

In educational environments, cobots are

invaluable for managing the cleaning of

expansive areas such as hallways, assembly

rooms, and sports halls.

They not only achieve consistently-high

cleaning standards, but machines also

complement human labour by freeing up

staff to focus on targeted cleaning tasks,

such as spot cleaning and deep sanitisation.

And cobotics help to narrow the

gap where cleaning staff shortages are

concerned.

Cleaning, waste disposal, and other

facilities management industries were

Robot cleaners are invaluable for expansive areas in schools, such as corridors and halls

expected to create 93,000 new jobs by the

year 2024 according to the British Cleaning

Council. However, 29% of these positions

have been classified as ‘hard to fill’.

These staff challenges are being echoed

across the educational sector, with 82% of

facilities reporting shortages of cleaning

staff, according to a UNISON survey.

Adoption of technology provides tools

that help cleaning operatives do more in

the time they have, and by handling fewer

monotonous tasks, operatives can gain

greater job satisfaction which, in turn,

supports better retention levels.

Combining cleaning robots with human

workers results is a much-more-efficient,

flexible, and inclusive approach than

systems designed solely to replace human

labour.

Equipped with state-of-the-art sensors

and artificial intelligence, cobots help

to avoid redundant cleaning efforts and

conserve resources such as water and

detergents, while also minimising site

management maintenance costs.

THE BENEFITS

These machines are expertly designed to

ensure an optimal clean and boast userfriendly

operation, ideal for maintaining

large, open spaces that ordinarily would

take a lot of human time to do the same job.

Take, for instance, autonomous floor

scrubber driers. They can come equipped

with a variety of attachments capable of

scrubbing, sweeping, polishing, and drying

a floor, with the latter a key aspect to

ensuring that accidents from wet floors are

eliminated.

It is important to look for a machine that

is engineered with precision navigation,

can clean close to the edge of the room,

and can detect objects, even if very small.

Additionally, they should feature advanced

obstacle avoidance to keep students and the

facility safe and free from damage.

Machines with a zero-degree turn radius

will manoeuvre into and clean tight spaces.

Equally, operatives do not need to be tasked

with disposing of wastewater and refilling

with freshwater during cleans, so opting



… these machines

can be programmed

to carry out cleaning

tasks when schools

are closed to ensure

continuous floorcare

is conducted without

disruption to the

educational process

for machines that handle this, as well as

charging, by autonomously returning to its

integrated docking station will bring the

most benefit.

Furthermore, these machines can

be programmed to carry out cleaning

tasks when schools are closed to ensure

continuous floorcare is conducted without

disruption to the educational process.

Estates and facilities managers can also

benefit from intelligent performance data

capture and tracking features.

For example, they can optimise cleaning

schedules based on comprehensive data,

such as area coverage and operation

times, and set benchmarks and evaluate

performance against established KPIs for

continuous improvement.

And machines that offer a simple user

interface and tamper-proof control panel

will ensure only those who are trained and

granted access can operate the machine.

Cobotic solutions generally use

less cleaning products and water than

traditional floor cleaning approaches. In

fact, some require no water whatsoever,

using bacteria-removing microfibre to clean

floors. This helps reduce slip risks as well as

cutting down on waste water.

Modern battery-charging cobots can be

powered for as little as 35p per hour, with a

battery life of up to 20 hours.

EASY TO INTRODUCE

Cobotic machines with user-friendly design

will ease the transition to advanced cleaning

technology.

Users typically find that with just a

brief training period, they can operate the

machines with confidence and skill.

Working with a supplier that has dedicated

Modern cobots can provide data which can be

used to optimise cleaning regimes in schools

cobotic expertise will ensure a seamless

onboarding process through comprehensive

training, in-personal installation of the

equipment, and ongoing support for

troubleshooting and maintenance.

Simple tasks such as wiping and inspecting

attachments and flushing out the hose

should be all that is required by users.

In addition, existing technology

is sophisticated enough that major

infrastructure changes should not be needed

to introduce cleaning robots.

PRACTICAL LESSONS

Another somewhat-unconventional benefit

of cleaning robots is their capacity to

fascinate and intrigue.

Educators constantly seek resources

that can captivate and educate students in

dynamic ways.

Integrating state-of-the-art intelligent

cobots into cleaning routines within

educational institutions offers an engaging,

real-world illustration of technology in

action.

For students delving into subjects like

physics, engineering, mathematics and ICT,

these autonomous cleaning robots can serve

as tangible case studies of the principles

they’re learning in class.

Cobotic cleaning systems offer an exciting

future across a range of sectors.

In educational settings, they offer some

particular benefits: from reducing disruption

to students, to inspiring the next generation

of engineers. n

Integrating state-of-the-art intelligent cobots

into cleaning routines within educational

institutions offers an engaging, real-world

illustration of technology in action



Partnership approach

to optimise estates

Facilities management consultancy,

Litmus, has announced a new

partnership with the Association of

University Directors of Estates (AUDE),

as part of its mission to support the higher

education sector.

AUDE promotes excellence in the

strategic planning, management, operation,

and development of higher education

estates and facilities.

And, under the new collaboration,

Litmus will work with members to inform

them of key trends and share best practice

on the delivery of all facilities managementrelated

services to help drive efficiencies,

improve value for money, and boost services

to stakeholders.

Kate Davis, senior consultant at Litmus

Partnership and AUDE relationship

project lead, said: “It’s a privilege for us to

partner with AUDE; a highly-regarded

organisation that mirrors many of our

values and ethics.

“The higher education sector has

faced turbulent years recently following

the pandemic, the energy price crisis,

and adapting to new ways around how

university buildings, facilities, and

campuses are used.

“Through our experience and deep

understanding of the business processes

involved in delivering specific, sometimes

highly-specialised, FM-related support

services, we’re able to bring exceptional value

by exploring all the options, constructing

viable solutions and implementing new

ideas and ways of working.

“We’re dedicated to creating moreefficient

facilities management processes

and carbon-neutral environments through

positive engagement with our clients and

their product and service supply chains.

“We believe this transforms the value of

support delivery – ultimately costing less

and giving much more.”

Speaking to Education Property about

the collaboration, John Brownless, joint

managing director of Litmus, adds: “From

speaking to estates professionals, we found

that many do not have time to do certain

things. Anything strategic, for example, is a

challenge.

“They want to understand things like

competitive pricing and best value and this

is expertise we can provide through this

partnership.

“Most of us have come from the supply

sector so the network is strong and we have

a good understanding of what is going on in

FM as a whole.

“We will also be bringing our experiences

from other sectors we work in, like

government and the NHS, and taking

innovation and learning from these to

AUDE members.”

One of the first focus areas, he said, was

for Litmus to benchmark cleaning regimes.

Brownless said: “It’s about people

Image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

management and change management and

getting best value at the right price.

“We will be benchmarking cleaning,

for example. Currently Enterprise Risk

Management (ERM) reporting is quite

holistic and does not get into the granular,

like pay rates and shift patterns and

materials and equipment.

“All these things are cleaning costs and we

need a full understanding of these to inform

a different approach that delivers best value.

“Overall, our aim is to provide a fresh

viewpoint and show want we could do

better.”

We’re dedicated to creating more-efficient

facilities management processes and carbonneutral

environments through positive

engagement with our clients and their product

and service supply chains



9 challenges facing higher

education estates managers

There are nine key challenges

facing education estates

professionals, according

to client feedback received

by facilities management

recruitment specialist, 300

North.

According to the Higher

Education Estates Management

Report 2018, it is estimated that

university estates now spend an

estimated £3bn a year on capital

projects.

And, over the years, the role of

estates management teams has

moved beyond just maintaining

and constructing buildings and

infrastructure.

They now have a commitment

to providing staff, students, and

visitors with quality facilities and

services while helping to shape

the future role of the estate as a

physical environment.

Based on feedback from

clients, including estates

directors, 300 North has put

together a list of the mostpressing

challenges managers

face.

1. Keeping up with and meeting

the high expectations of the

next generation of students

2. Balancing quality and cost

while juggling a framework

of compliance and tightening

budgets

3. Beating off increasing

competition from colleges and

universities across the globe

4. Facing a time of uncertainty

around Brexit and the impact

this will have on higher

education

5. Potentially being subjected

to a reduction in tuition fees

meaning less money for

capital projects

6. Managing growing estates

with more complex needs

7. Constructing and managing

new buildings with higher

operating costs

8. Losing confidence in

outsourced contracts thanks

to the collapse of companies

such as Carillion

9. Experiencing significant cuts

in capital funding from the

Government

Estates helpdesks merge to form one team

The University of Oxford has merged its two estates

services helpdesks, creating a single point of contact

for building users and managers, simplifying the user

experience, and ensuring a more-efficient service.

On 4 March 2024, the first phase of the project to

merge the two existing helpdesks went live, unifying the

previously-separate FM and DLO helpdesks.

Merging these into a single support team aims to

create a single point of contact for all our users for the

first time.

It will help standardise processes and improve the

estates team’s ability to respond quickly to requests and

escalate issues as needed.

The work will also provide customers with clearer and

more-accurate information on the progress of reactive

work requests.

A spokesman said: “After implementing the initial

changes, we will monitor the helpdesk’s usage statistics

and user feedback and if any issues arise, they will be

promptly identified and addressed.

“The team will receive additional training to ensure a

smooth changeover to the new system.

“The helpdesk team will also review and standardise

Key to overcoming these

challenges, according to 300

North, is the need to develop

strategic decisions which are

right for the individual needs of

each higher education setting

and its stakeholders.

What’s more, as highlighted in

research carried out by Deloitte,

colleges and universities must

think globally to develop a

strong student and stakeholder

value proposition to distinguish

them from their competitors.

“Within the higher education

sector, the responsibility

of creating a rich learning

environment falls heavily on

the shoulders of colleges

and universities, in particular

its estates and facilities

management (FM) teams,” said

a 300 North spokesman.

“Unfortunately, an uncertain

future and cuts in funding

are going to shape the higher

education sector, but we must

remember that college and

university estates are critical to

the success of any institution.”

Image Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

the process for logging reactive calls, which will help streamline operations and

all team members will have full sight of, and access to, all requests raised.

“This will mean they can easily view, amend, and log tasks, fostering a

transparent, collaborative working environment.”


Environmental

Decarbonising

higher education —

The investment challenge

Toby Horne, smart infrastructure financing partner at

Siemens Financial Services UK, discusses the critical

role of flexible financing solutions in supporting higher

education sustainability goals

As the global cost of climate change

becomes more apparent, the UK

remains committed to achieving

net-zero emissions by 2050.

To achieve this goal, the Government

and press have been vocal about how

private businesses and households can

meaningfully drive down their carbon

emissions.

Equally, universities and higher education

(HE) institutions have an important role to

play in meeting carbon reduction targets.

In 2021, over 1,000 universities and HE

colleges worldwide pledged to become

completely carbon neutral by 2050, with

some institutions aiming to decarbonise as

quickly as 2030.

This list includes 168 UK institutions.

And, while this ambition is laudable, it

nonetheless represents a series of logistical

and financial hurdles in a sector that

continues to struggle for financial solvency.

EASING THE BURDEN

According to Times Higher Education,

almost half of all vice-chancellors expect their

institutions to be in a financial deficit in 2024.

In order to fund the necessary

infrastructure to achieve net zero,

institutions therefore need specific, tailored

finance programmes to ease the burden of

green investment.

Here, we look at the true carbon cost of

the HE sector, the retrofitting of buildings

necessary to achieve carbon neutrality, and

how the financial sector can aid institutions

in removing the cost barriers to investment.

THE CARBON COST

The HE sector is a substantial contributor to

global emissions.


Environmental

Data from the Higher Education

Statistics Agency demonstrates that 133

UK universities accounted for 1.4 million

tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions between

2021-2022.

While two thirds of those managed to

decrease their emissions over the past year,

experts warn of ‘patchy’ progress within

a sector that is failing to keep pace with

current targets and the greater climate

emergency.

Professor David Reay, director of the

Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, told

Times Higher Education that institutions

cannot rely wholly on the decarbonisation

of the national electricity grid.

And he reiterated the importance of

‘grasping the nettle of institution-wide

enhancements to the energy efficiency of

buildings, equipment and usage’.

Inevitably, this involves substantial

investment.

“This is not cheap,” Reay warned, “and in

these straitened times, the capital costs of

things like building retrofit risk being put

off, even though the savings over the longer

term can far outweigh these costs.”

THE CHALLENGES

According to the International Energy

Agency, in order to meet net-zero targets,

not only must all new buildings be zerocarbon

ready, but 20% of existing stock must

be retrofitted for carbon neutrality by 2030.

While this represents a challenge for all

sectors, it is particularly demanding for the

HE sector.

The UK is home to some of the oldest and

most-prestigious university campuses in the

world.

Unfortunately, while the halls of Oxford

or St Andrews may be steeped in history and

architectural wonder, these very assets can

curtail today’s ambitious ecological targets.

Retrofitting the medieval architecture of

Britain’s oldest universities is an elaborate

undertaking that requires a great deal of

capital investment.

It is ultimately, however, an investment

that can unlock great monetary and carbon

savings for generations to come.

Data from Grosvenor suggests that

retrofitting 50% of all the UK’s pre-1919

residential buildings over a period of 10

years could lead to carbon savings exceeding

39 million equivalent tonnes of CO2. And

this would result in an estimated monetary

saving of £3.4bn by 2050.

There are over 600,000 historic buildings

in commercial use throughout the UK,

accounting for almost a third of all

commercial buildings so HE institutions

have an opportunity to lead the charge and

set an example for others.

Retrofitting the medieval architecture of

Britain’s oldest universities is an elaborate

undertaking that requires a great deal of

capital investment

SMART BUILDINGS

The term ‘smart building’ refers to a building

that makes use of available technologies

to make its operations more efficient and

economical.

There are already some very-impressive

examples of HE institutions that have

embraced new technologies.

The University of Birmingham, for

instance, partnered with Siemens in 2021 to

become the first university to implement a

large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) rollout,

installing 23,000 IoT sensors across its

Edgbaston campus.

This measure will provide invaluable

insights into building occupancy so the

university can manage power and heating

more effectively.

This is projected to reduce emissions

across all campuses by nearly 3,000 tonnes of

CO2 per annum.

Likewise, the University of East London

has also partnered with Siemens to create a

‘living laboratory’ that will capture granular

energy usage data to drive future change.

This data capture can be used in

conjunction with other technologies such as

ground and air source heat pumps, sensordriven

LED lighting, automated door

controls, energy-efficient insulation, and

smart heating and ventilation solutions to

reduce energy wastage.

In an era defined by inflated fuel prices,

investment in green infrastructure cannot

only drive down carbon emissions, but also

drastically reduce operational spending,

reducing energy use by up to 40%.

FINANCING NET ZERO

At a time when almost half of all UK

universities anticipate a financial deficit, it is

easy to see why HE institutions may baulk at

the cost of decarbonisation.

Accounting specialist, Grant Thornton,

calculates the cost of decarbonising the UK’s

HE sector at £37.1bn. £25.4bn of this will

be spent on decarbonising supply chain

emissions, while £6.56bn will go towards

built environment emissions and £5.14bn

for transport and travel.

The UK Government’s sustainability and

climate change strategy acknowledges that

school and university buildings account

for 36% of total UK public sector building

emissions.

And, while universities may bid for a share

of a £230m fund to facilitate low-carbon

energy upgrades for public sector buildings,

this still leaves a significant shortfall.

Specialist financiers are poised to bridge

this gap, with financing solutions that

can be tailored to the specific needs of an

organisation.

Buildings-efficiency-as-a-service (BEaaS),

for instance, is a finance arrangement that

can be leveraged either at the component or

larger building level to facilitate investment

in infrastructure without endangering cash

flow. This arrangement aligns the cost of

the technology with the expected rate of

benefit.

And this means that institutions will

not need to make large upfront payments,

instead spreading the cost of investment

over a flexible period.

The operational savings facilitated by this

green investment can further help to offset

the cost of investment, in some cases paying

for zero-carbon renovations in their entirety.

As well as ameliorating upfront costs,

these agreements often include guarantees

based on expected energy efficiency

outcomes and this further mitigates the risk

borne by HE institutions.

LEADING THE WAY

The operation of buildings accounts for 30%

of final energy consumption worldwide, and

26% of all global energy-related emissions.

Reducing this footprint can therefore

seriously help to meet environmental

targets.

With the right financial arrangements in

place, HE institutions can afford to be much

more pro-active in meeting their mostambitious

targets for carbon neutrality.

Retrofitting university buildings into

smart buildings can yield phenomenal

carbon and operational cost savings,

ultimately providing future generations of

students and faculties with the gift of moreefficient

and sustainable operations. n


Environmental

New schools earmarked for

areas of high pollution

New research from Evelina London

Children’s Hospital and King’s College

London has found that all new schools

proposed to be built between 2017-2025

are currently, or will be, in areas of high

pollution.

Published in the Archives of Disease in

Childhood, the study analysed the air quality

data from the sites for 147 new primary and

secondary schools in England proposed or

built between 2017-2025.

Air quality data was identified against the

three World Health Organizations’ air quality

guidance targets for particulate matter known

as PM2.5 and PM10, and nitrogen dioxide

(NO2).

Particulate matter is made up of microscopic

pieces of liquids or solids that are in the air,

such as dust or smoke.

And the results found that every school

location exceeded at least one of the World

Health Organization’s air quality targets, and

86% exceeded all three.

Only six locations breached just one target

— four in the South West, one in the South

East, and one in the Midlands.

Schools with elevated levels of pollution

were clustered in major English cities,

including London, Liverpool, Birmingham,

Manchester, and Leeds.

According to the World Health Organization,

PM2.5 is the most-dangerous pollutant as

it can pass through the lungs into the blood

system.

And children are more susceptible to the

effects of air pollution, due to their developing

tissue still undergoing biological changes.

Also due to their size, they are closer

to the level of traffic fumes and higher

concentrations of pollutants.

The health effects include higher incidence

of asthma, increased sensitivity to allergens,

more-frequent and serious respiratory

conditions, and pneumonia.

And long-term consequences include

reduced lung function, low birth weight,

and increased risk of chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease and heart conditions, as

well as adverse effects to concentration levels,

cognition, and mental health.

Analysis found there is no mandatory

guidance for school proposals to consider air

quality levels during the planning stages of

assessing the suitability of the site.

And building regulations recommendations

regarding air quality are outdated and likely to

be ineffective.

Dr Meredith Robertson, lead author and

paediatric respiratory consultant at Evelina

London Children’s Hospital, said: “This study

highlights that the current guidance does not

go far enough to protect children and young

people from breathing in harmful levels of

pollution while in school.

“We miss key opportunities to reduce

exposure to pollution which could be

addressed by improving building design and

other interventions.

“There are significant steps that can be

undertaken to reduce pollution within the

classroom, even if outdoor pollutants remain

high. Therefore, it is imperative that we ensure

safe indoor air quality in newly-built schools.”

Previous analysis by City Hall in 2021

found that 3.1 million children in England are

attending schools in areas with unsafe levels

of air pollution, exceeding the World Health

Organization’s target for PM2.5 levels.

Sunny outlook for schools

Schools across South Wales, the South

West, and the Midlands are set to benefit

as part of a £2.7m commitment to help

reduce carbon emissions and make

energy savings.

The National Grid is working with Solar for

Schools to offer grants to help schools in

areas of high economic deprivation invest in

solar technology in order to reach their net

zero goals.

“This new fund aims to help more schools

adopt solar power to decarbonise and to

reduce energy costs. It’s also an important

way to engage pupils in ways to reduce

carbon and emissions”, said Ellie Patey,

National Grid Electricity Distribution’s

community engagement manager.

“Working together with Solar for Schools

means our grants can unlock significant

financial and carbon savings, as well as

educational benefits, over and above what

could have been achieved working in

isolation.”

Two Birmingham schools are the first to

benefit.

The Ark Victoria Academy and Ark Kings

Academy have recently had new solar

systems installed and have saved more

than £3,500 in the last month alone, with

projected savings forecast to be more than

£1.2m over the lifetime of the solar panels.

The solar is also expected to save more

than 1,153 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime;

equivalent to taking 260 fossil-fuelled cars

off the road for a year.

The savings made by the schools will

be reinvested back into education or vital

school infrastructure.

Ann Flaherty, Solar for Schools UK

director, said: “We always say, learn from

your school buildings, not just inside them.

“By getting solar on the roofs of schools

we’re empowering students and helping

them see they can do something locally

to reduce carbon, that helps nationally to

meet targets, and that’s globally helping to

reduce our emissions.”

Bryan Knope, head of estates for Ark

Schools, added: “We’re delighted to have

received this National Grid funding and

to be working with Solar for Schools to

install photovoltaic panels at our schools in

Birmingham, London, and Hastings.

“Reducing CO2 emissions is a top priority

for Ark and we have set ourselves a tough

target to cut consumption by 20% this year,

and solar is one of the tools we are using to

improve sustainability.

“The live energy-savings dashboard

provided by Solar for Schools is also

helping us to form a more-detailed picture

of consumption. Together with smart

metering, we’re now able to report in moremeaningful

ways and use this data to shift

behaviour.”

National Grid’s £2.7m grant will ultimately

enable Solar for Schools to raise additional

funding to enable about £10m worth of solar

projects to happen.


Environmental

Schools win

sustainability funding

Four schools have won sustainability

packages as part of the IKEA-Let’s Go

Zero Sustainable Schools competition.

The initiative — a partnership between

IKEA and the national zero carbon

campaign for schools, Let’s Go Zero — was

a chance for schools to win one of three

sustainability product packages: a uniform

swap shop, a sustainability hub, or outdoor

seating and furniture.

Supporting the Let’s Go Zero’s campaign

to make all 32,000 UK schools zero carbon

by 2030, the competition gives schools

£1,500 of IKEA products and the opportunity

for them to build relationships with their

local IKEA stores.

To enter, schools sent in videos

showcasing the sustainability work their

students are already doing, and, with over 70

entries, the judges had a hard time choosing

only four winners.

Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero said:

“With 42% of all UK households being home

to school-aged children, the classroom is

a natural place to inspire change across

communities for the next generation.

“It’s great to see such brilliant examples of

schools working on zero-carbon solutions —

improving their facilities at the same time as

reducing energy, waste, and becoming more

sustainable.

“These schools show clearly that they can

inspire children to protect the environment,

create beautiful learning spaces, and provide

students with vital new skills all at once.”

The winners are:

COPPICE VALLEY PRIMARY

SCHOOL, HARROGATE — THE

‘GO OUTSIDE’ CLASSROOM

Students at Coppice Valley Primary School

love outdoor learning and being out in

nature. Their new outdoor seating means

they can open their grounds up to the wider

community and other local schools without

green space. Though a small school, they

have big plans, including holding onsite

residentials and family workshops.

GATESHEAD COLLEGE,

NEWCASTLE — THE

UPCYCLING AND

REPAIRING HUB

Staff and students see their new swap

shop becoming a hub for education on

the circular economy and the benefits of

repairing and reusing items.

As well as offering second-hand clothing

to a huge number of students across four

campuses, the swap shop will be a place to

learn practical repair and upcycling skills,

empowering students and the community to

live sustainably.

It will also help to alleviate financial

stresses and help community members

through the cost-of-living crisis.

THE WALLACE HIGH SCHOOL,

LISBURN, NORTHERN

IRELAND — THE ECO TEAM’S

SUSTAINABILITY SPACE

Sustainability is a cornerstone of the school’s

ethos, and, with its new sustainability hub, it

will create a dedicated and inclusive space

for eco-learning.

The Eco-Team will use the space to meet,

plan, and hold events with guest speakers

from different environmental groups.

Stewart Fleming Primary School’s new swap shop will

help save on uniform costs and encourage sustainability

Members of The Wallace High School’s Eco-Team help to tidy up the school grounds

Other schools and local businesses will

also be invited to learn about sustainability

practices, and the hub will be at the centre

of the school’s eco work.

STEWART FLEMING PRIMARY

SCHOOL, LONDON — THE

UNIFORM SWAP SHOP

Having had no dedicated space for secondhand

uniform, Stewart Fleming’s new swap

shop will help students and their parents to

be more sustainable and save on uniform

costs.

It will teach the students and their families

about the importance of reusing clothes,

and how it can help to reduce waste,

conserve resources, and save money.

The school also hopes the co-benefits of

the swap shop will encourage the trust to

roll out similar provisions across its other

schools.


Environmental

LSE leads sustainability drive

The London School of Economics’

(LSE’s) annual Sustainability Report

highlights its ongoing commitment to

environmental sustainability and tackling

the climate crisis.

Driven by the school’s senior leadership

team, the report illustrates how

sustainability has been integrated into

key areas across the university including

education, research, engagement and

leadership, investment, and collaboration.

The school has been sector-leading in

making positive changes and was ranked

in the top 10% of universities worldwide

for sustainability in the QS sustainability

rankings for 2023, and top in the UK for the

‘sustainable institutions’ lens of the ranking.

The LSE’s newest building project, 35

Lincoln’s Inn Field — to be named the Firoz

Lalji Global Hub — will be it is first net-zero

building in both construction and operation.

This means the building’s carbon emissions

will be transparently calculated, avoided, or

reduced; and residual emissions offset, so

net carbon emissions equal zero.

Work is now also complete on the

electrification of the Cheng Kin Ku (CKK)

building as the first building in the school’s

Carbon Reduction Programme to go fully

electric.

This involved removing the gas boilers

and chillers and replacing them with moresustainable

air source heat pumps.

And electrification of the CKK Building

will reduce gas usage on campus by

approximately 8%.

As part of the refurbishment works,

The Firoz Lalji Global Hub

Image: David Chipperfield Architects with Feix and Merlin

the Old Building is also undergoing an

electrification project.

Similar to CKK, the project will use heat

pump technology that will result in a

70% reduction in carbon emissions once

completed.

Other achievements highlighted in

the report include the launch of the Just

Transition Finance Lab, earlier this year.

Established by the Grantham Institute

on Climate Change and the Environment

at LSE, the lab will work on the financial

solutions needed for a transition to a net

zero and nature-positive economy.

Ongoing work by the Grantham Institute

also features significantly in the report,

highlighting its involvement at the annual

global COP conferences, including

COP27 where then LSE president and

vice chancellor, Minouche Shafik, gave a

speech on its engagement with the UK

government and finance sector on net zero

and transition work.

In the key area of education, the report

highlights how funding was secured for a

student partnership project supporting the

integration of sustainability topics into the

curriculum in 2022/23.

This funding supported 10 students to

work as research assistants identifying

sustainability topics or case studies for a

specific course on sustainability across all

school departments.

Four new courses related to sustainability

have also been approved.

Going forwards, LSE is working to achieve

one of its big targets of becoming net

zero carbon by 2030 for direct energy use

(scope 1 and 2) and by 2050 for all indirect

emissions (scope 3), through continuing to

deliver on the carbon reduction initiatives

set out in the Sustainability Strategic Plan.

Commenting on the report, LSE’s

pro-director of planning and resources,

Eric Neumayer, said: “As a leading social

sciences university in the heart of London,

LSE has a key role to play in responding to

the global climate emergency.

“Through the research and external

engagement we undertake to further

global understanding; the education we

provide to students who will show their

own leadership on this issue; and how we

manage our own built environment; we take

this responsibility seriously as part of our

mission to shape a sustainable world.”

Director of estates, Julian Robison, added:

“Thanks to our sustainability team, LSE

remains a bastion of good practice and at

the forefront of sustainability.

“This report demonstrates much has been

achieved, but there is still even more to do.”

Data centre heat to be reused

in university buildings

The University of Edinburgh is among

several organisations to share grants from

a new Scottish Government net zero fund.

The university will receive nearly £2.1m —

alongside £520,000 of its own funding — to

support energy-saving projects at its Kings

Buildings campus.

The money awarded by the Scottish

Government’s Public Sector Heat

Decarbonisation Fund will be put towards

decarbonising the campus’ heat supply by

reusing heat from a university data centre.

A heat recovery pump will recycle waste

heat from the data centre for use within its

local district heating network.

The grant will also be used to improve

roof and pipework insulation in a number of

university buildings.

The work is part of the university’s

commitment to become net zero by 2040.

It is tackling climate change across all

activities, including how it operates its estate,

what it buys and invests in, the teaching and

research it undertakes, its partnerships, and

travel.

And a first priority is to minimise emissions,

and alongside the new Scottish Government

grant, the university is allocating £28m from

its own capital investment plan for carbon

reduction projects.

Technologies will include air and ground

source heat pumps and solar energy,

including a solar farm at the Easter Bush

campus.

Since 2016, 140 energy efficiency and

renewable energy projects have reduced

emissions across its sites by a projected 400

tonnes of CO₂e.

“The climate crisis is one of the greatest

challenges we face”, said Catherine Martin,

vice principal of corporate services at the

university.

“We have a clear commitment to take

positive action to address our impact on the

climate and ultimately reach our institutional

goal of being net zero by 2040.

“We need a co-ordinated approach to

these activities and the funding from the

Scottish Government will support our efforts

to generate solutions and sustainably adapt

the way we operate.”


People

Teachers get £6,000 to

teach vital subjects

From September this year

teachers will be able to

earn up to £6,000 extra for

working in key STEM and

technical subjects such as

maths, construction, and

engineering, as well as early

years education, as part of the

Government’s drive to recruit

and retain the best staff, the

Department for Education

(DfE) has announced.

The incentive is being offered

through the Government’s

levelling up premium doubling

payments introduced in

2022 to support schools in

disadvantaged areas across

the country to recruit and

retain the teachers they need in

maths, physics, chemistry and

computing.

The programme is now being

significantly expanded to cover

further education teachers

teaching in vital subjects

including early years, building

and construction, digital,

engineering, manufacturing,

and transport engineering and

electronics.

And it comes ahead of the

introduction of the advanced

British standard – a new

baccalaureate-style post-16

qualification which is set to bring

together the best of technical

and academic education.

At the heart of the proposals

for the advanced British

standard are an increase in

teaching time of around 200

hours over the course of the

qualification, greater breadth

and choice of subjects for young

people, and a core focus on

maths and English.

Backed by an investment of

around £200m over the next

two years, it will make sure

more young people, particularly

those from disadvantaged

backgrounds, continue to

have access to the world-class

education and training they

need in the subjects to fulfil

their potential, while plugging

the skills gap and boosting the

economy.

Education Secretary, Gillian

Keegan, said: “Teachers are the

heart of our education system,

inspiring young people and

shaping future generations.

“By offering incentives of up to

£6,000, we’re ensuring schools

and colleges can support the

recruitment and retention of

dedicated teachers in highpriority

subjects and in the areas

that need them most.

“This will make a real

difference to schools and

colleges across the country,

allowing them to provide worldclass

education for all ahead of

the Advanced British Standard,

while giving businesses the

skilled workers they need to

drive economic growth.”

Levelling Up Minister, Jacob

Young, added: “Spreading

opportunity is at the core of

the Government’s levelling up

mission because, while we

know ability is spread evenly,

opportunity is not.

“That includes supporting

young people to thrive through

a quality education as everyone

deserves the best start in life.

“A high-quality education relies

on excellent teachers and this

funding will help schools and

colleges attract and retain the

staff they need to equip our kids

with the best possible start in

life.”

Teachers risk burnout as workload increases

The National Education Union (NEU)

has presented alarming survey results,

revealing a crisis gripping the education

sector.

Northern Ireland NEU president, Edel

McInerney, recently unveiled the results

of the Teacher Workload Survey, which

sheds light on the unsustainable workload

burdening teachers and posing a significant

threat to the quality of education nationwide.

According to the survey’s preliminary

findings, a staggering number of educators

are grappling with excessive work demands,

leading to burnout and diminished teaching

standards, with one in five NEU teachers

working 16-plus additional hours every

week.

And the NEU says the findings underscore

the urgent need for systemic changes

to alleviate the strain on teachers and

safeguard the integrity of the education

system.

Image: Alexandra Koch from Pixabay

McInerney said: “Teachers are facing

unprecedented levels of workload, which is

not only detrimental to their wellbeing, but

also compromises the quality of education

they deliver.

“Without intervention, this crisis will

Image: Alana Jordan from Pixabay

continue to escalate, jeopardising the future

of our students.

“A majority of teachers reported working

well beyond contractual hours, with many

struggling to maintain a healthy work-life

balance.

“The relentless demands of the profession

contribute to high levels of stress and

burnout, driving talented educators to

reduce their hours, responsibility, or get out

of teaching.

“Something has got to change.”

The NEU is calling on education

policymakers, school leaders, and

stakeholders to take immediate action to

address the root causes of unsustainable

teacher workload.

And it says strategies must prioritise urgent

workload reduction, adequate resources,

and support systems to enable educators to

thrive and, in turn, ensure the best-possible

outcomes for students.


People

Legal eagles

Browne Jacobson’s education practice

continues to grow after welcoming three

newly-qualified solicitors in this year’s

intake.

Alice Wheatley, Chantice Kyle, and

Georgina Hall have joined the 100-strong

team after completing their training

contracts at the UK and Ireland law firm.

They will play a key role in delivering

legal and HR services to the full range of

education clients, which include schools,

academies, and further and higher

education institutions.

Wheatley and Kyle are based at the firm’s

Nottingham office, with Hall located in

Manchester.

Kyle was the first to qualify last autumn,

having moved from a previous nursing

career into the legal profession, joining

Collegiate UK appoints MD

Browne Jacobson via its summer vacation

scheme.

She balances her job with caring for her

21-year-old brother, who lives with autism,

and supports the firm’s REACH mentoring

programme, which helps ambitious black

students to kickstart their career in law.

Wheatley, who like Georgina qualified

in March this year, supports schools with

pastoral matters, disability discrimination

Collegiate UK, a leading provider of

Purpose Build Student Accommodation

(PBSA), has announced the appointment of

Neil Burton as its new managing director.

Burton joins the business to help deliver the

next phase of growth and to further enhance

Collegiate UK’s operating capabilities.

In 2020, Collegiate UK became a whollyowned

subsidiary of Arlington Advisors,

an investment firm that specialises in the

acquisition and management of PBSA in the

Neil Burton UK.

Collegiate UK, with the support of Arlington, has subsequently

grown dramatically with the onboarding of 29 new sites and over

100 new team members.

The group now has more than 36 student residences and 10,800

beds in 21 cities across the UK.

With an international career spanning nearly three decades

of senior leadership roles across several influential and global

companies, Burton has helped shape the future of the living sector.

He held the senior positions of managing director of Round Hill

Capital; global practice lead for brand and customer experience at

Greystar; and chief executive of Nido.

George Shweiry, group chief executive of Arlington Advisors, said:

“We’re excited to welcome Neil to the team and for the opportunities

ahead as we look to extend our presence and ‘one-stop-shop’

capabilities in the PBSA sector.

“We’re not just aiming for growth, but for a revolution in how

we can develop community living and lead the market in offering

exceptional experiences for our customers and strategic partners.”

Burton adds: “I’m delighted to join the award-winning team and

to be appointed to help deliver this next phase of growth for the

business.

“A vibrant community lies at the heart of the best student

experiences and I’m excited to bring a global mindset to developing

the offer and capabilities needed to deliver our shared vision for the

business and student living.”

tribunals, and leads on academy transfers

and conversions.

And Hall arrived in the legal profession

after initially studying business at the

University of Reading’s Henley Business

School, followed by roles in university

student recruitment and the Office of

the Independent Adjudicator for Higher

Education.

Mark Blois, head of education at Browne

Jacobson, added: “As our market-leading

education practice continues to grow, it is

vital we maintain a strong pipeline of young

talent in order to ensure we can continue

meeting all our clients’ needs.

“Chantice, Alice, and Georgina will not only

enhance the education team’s capacity, but

they are a very natural fit with the team’s

values and personality.”

NURSERY GROUP HIRES

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Storal, a UK nursery group with 31 registered settings, has

announced the appointment of Daniel Day as finance director.

In this newly-created role for the company, Day will lead a

finance team in providing clear financial and performance

information, strong financial control, and valuable commercial

decision support. And he will ensure development of a finance

team which is fit for the business today as well as futureproofed

for the larger business Storal will be in the future.

Day joins Storal from Independent Builders Merchant Group,

the largest independent merchant business in the South of

England, with over 180 branches, where he acted as finance

director for over two and a half years.

An ACA-qualified chartered accountant, he brings a wealth of

knowledge to Storal, including valuable experience gained from

senior finance roles at Tesco and Mothercare.

And he is the latest hire in the Storal leadership team, which

has been strengthened significantly over the last couple of years

with the appointments of Shanti Flynn as head of education, Jane

Gray as head of marketing, Emma Bate as head of operations,

and, most recently, Fiona Todd as head of people.

Speaking on what attracted him to Storal, Day said: “As

someone who has spent most of my career working in retail

businesses, the multi-site nature of the sector really appeals, but

I am especially looking forward to working in a business and

sector which works in a far-more-sustainable way and with a

social benefit at its heart.

“Nothing is more sustainable than education and early years

education has never been more important than it is today.”

Chief executive of Storal, Sarah Mackenzie, added: “The

addition of Daniel as finance director is a milestone for Storal and

a testament to the growth the company has seen over the past

seven years.

“I’m excited for Storal’s future growth with our strengthened

senior leadership team.”


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Inside issue 01, February-March 2024

• Best practice in the design of educational

facilities

• Investing in the next generation of schools,

colleges, and nurseries

• Meeting the net-zero carbon challenge

• Driving efficiency in the education estate

• Market and industry insight

Inside issue 02, April-May 2024

• Special report on the design of purposebuilt

student accommodation

• How modern methods of construction are

creating a new generation of educational

buildings

• Guidance supports estates professionals to

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Education Property Issue 03 June-July 2024

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