GovWire

Realising the potential of every child and young person in our country is what matters to all of us in education. I am very grateful for the dedication and hard work of schools in all they do to deliver excellent standards of education, training, and care in challenging times. Well-maintained, safe school buildings are a vital aspect of this.

It is therefore my pleasure to introduce the estate management competency framework. This has been produced in close partnership with schools and industry experts, drawing on insights into the skills, knowledge and expertise schools need to effectively manage their estates. It has been designed to align with good estate management for schools (GEMS), which is already helping schools to build effective practice and make a real difference.

The framework recognises various competency levels, covering the range of roles and responsibilities across the school environment. From operational tasks to strategic planning and leadership, it takes into account the broad range of technical experience and expertise that exists within the sector. It aims to help you in achieving your ambition for your estate, and recognises the remarkable contributions made by those involved in its management, and supporting continuous professional development, at all levels.

The competency framework is an important addition to the departments existing advice and guidance, setting out practical advice to build the capability at all levels of the school estate profession. Helping responsible bodies embed best practice, make the most of their resources and meet their existing responsibilities for managing their school estate. I do hope you find this a valuable tool, and I would like to thank those who worked with us to develop it, especially the members of our working group. We highly value these contributions, insight and challenge, helping ensure our products and services continue to make a meaningful difference in the great work you do.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department for Education

The Department for Education is launching a programme of work to support the capability and professionalisation of estate management roles in schools starting with the estate management competency framework.

The framework will:

• help schools to recruit and develop the essential levels of skills and competencies for roles and functions working to keep their buildings safe and well-maintained
• support individuals in estate management roles

Managing your school estate effectively will help you to save money and ensure you have a healthy, safe, and sustainable school environment.

The estate management competency framework is designed to:

• set the standard skills and knowledge required by those conducting estate management functions, and the roles and responsibilities required at different levels
• allow individuals and organisations to benchmark existing skills and experience against the framework, and identify gaps
• help individuals with planning their professional development

The framework will be reviewed before May 2024.

You will find this framework useful if you have responsibility for overseeing or managing the school estate. This includes:

• proprietors, leaders, and governors of schools
• charity trustees of academies and academy trusts
• trustees of schools
• school business professionals
• those with responsibility for the day-to-day running of the school estate
• local authorities
• diocesan authorities and other religious authorities and bodies

This information is for people working in:

• estates
• property
• infrastructure roles within schools

This competency framework outlines 7 functions of estate management, aligned to good estate management for schools (GEMS). These functions cover the broad range of experience and technical competency required within the education sector. We have identified a few key activities that are generally included within each function.

1. Strategic estate management

Your role may include:

• taking a strategic approach to the management of your land and buildings, in line with your schools business planning objectives
• having the right plans and documents in place to help create an environment that supports good teaching and learning

Your responsibilities may include:

• understanding how to manage your estate well by producing strategic plans that support your schools educational and other goals
• putting together and agreeing an implementation plan
• setting up good governance arrangements for managing your estate well
• assigning clear organisational responsibilities for the estate

2. Planning and organising your estate resources

Your role will usually involve ensuring your schools policies and procedures help you manage your estate effectively and efficiently.

Your responsibilities may include:

• implementing governance responsibilities for your esta
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