{"id":211768,"date":"2024-09-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=211768"},"modified":"2025-09-19T16:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T15:23:46","slug":"legal-four-priorities-to-avoid-a-new-notice-to-improve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/legal-four-priorities-to-avoid-a-new-notice-to-improve\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal: Four priorities to avoid a new ‘notice to improve’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For trust CEOs and board chairs, the publication of this year\u2019s academy trust handbook<\/a> has brought into sharp focus the importance of good management of the school estate.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new clause has been introduced<\/a> which allows the ESFA to serve a Notice to Improve (NtI) to trustees and the executive for \u2018failing to manage or maintain their estate strategically and effectively\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unpacking this responsibility, there are four areas which trust leaders should consider to mitigate this risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having suitably qualified and experienced estates professionals working at a senior level within the trust is critical, ensuring that building condition issues are noted and addressed early, minimising risk and cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, employees with formal health and safety qualifications (IoSH, NEBOSH) will be able to identify hazards and risks and be equipped with the skills to mitigate these. Larger trusts will have the capacity to employ in-house expertise, while smaller trusts may rely on consultancy services to advise on and manage estates issues. Whoever is responsible, ensuring accountability is key.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This new handbook requirement makes it essential for trusts to have or recruit a board member with estates expertise. This is so that \u2013 at a strategic level – they can ask the right questions, navigate complex legislation, analyse and understand estates and cost data, and give qualified advice to minimise corporate risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trusts should hold up-to-date information about their estate, keeping this under continuous review so that the board and executive team have an accurate picture of condition and key risks. The latter include those which threaten business continuity (e.g. school closure), pose a risk to life or carry a significant cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accurate data facilitates the early identification of any issues, allows for works to be correctly scoped and costed, and funding for capital works to be ringfenced.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baseline data that all trusts should hold includes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n