Management Information Sheet

Responsibilities for premises maintenance

The responsibility for the maintenance of LA-maintained school sites and buildings rests with Governing Bodies in line with the Norfolk Scheme of Local Management.

As Norfolk's Building Maintance Partnership 3 comes to an end on 31st March 2015, a number of schools have been considering or will wish to consider the options on offer to ensure that there remains a suitable maintenance regime in place for their premises.

These arrangements should ensure that there is a named technical adviser who can be called upon in the case of the Governing Body's Business Continuity Plan having to be implemented, backed up by immediately available resources to ensure that the premises can become operational again following a complete or partial 'outage' of accommodation.

In cases where the County Council has powers* to intervene in premises maintenance and needs to do so to ensure the continuance of education provision (in line with the LA 'sufficiency duty'), the school budget will be charged accordingly for any necessary work, unless there is insurance-type or pooling coverage from the building maintenance arrangements entered into by the school. Schools should check that their arrangements will support immediate reinstatment in the case of the operational failure of premises.

For those sites where NCC does not have powers to intervene, but is asked to do so on a emergency basis, it will use the resources of NPS Property Consultants Ltd and similarly will charge all costs the school.

For further information - see Model Health and Safety Policy and Premises Management Guidance on Schools PeopleNet

Tree maintenance

Responsibility for tree maintenance also falls fully to Governing Bodies. From April 2015 there will be no funding retained from the Direct Schools Grant to support a tree maintenance fund. The existing arrangements whereby this fund permits NORSE intereventions for emergency tree maintenance will cease. Governing Bodies will have to make their own arrangements and fund the maintenance regime. In cases where maintenance is required for urgent Health and Safety reasons, eg after a severe storm, the school's Devolved Formula Capital may be used, but ongoing maintenance has to be funded from the school's revenue budget. Schools are advised to maintain a register of trees and document their maintenance regime.

A member of School staff should be trained to at least Lantra level 1 in tree management. Norse Grounds Advisors can arrange this training, along with providing a tree policy for each establishment and monitor the works required following inspections.

NORSEGrounds provide a tree maintenance service for schools: Grounds Advisors Contacts, Nicola Richardson 07850609034, Steve Coombe 07798668070, Grounds Office 01362 869930.

As with premises, any emergency interventions requested of NCC or NORSEGrounds will be charged to the school budget*.

*The relevant part of the Local Management Scheme is: Norfolk's Scheme for Financing Schools, Section 6.2