As multi-academy trusts have grown, so too has the scale and complexity of the estates they are responsible for.
Sam Luker, Chief Operating Officer of Trinitas Academy Trust explains why trust leaders need to deal with the ‘black hole’ of data to gain a clearer view of their estates for compliance excellence…
For trust leaders, successful estates management is no longer just about maintenance – it is about securing the visibility and assurance required to manage risk, prioritise investment and maintain compliance confidence across every school in the trust.
As COO of a multi-academy trust, I am no stranger to the complexities of multi-site oversight. Managing seven schools requires more than just a checklist; it requires total visibility, a proactive safety culture and an intuitive system that site teams can use effectively and consistently.
Although there is support available from Department for Education (DfE) frameworks such as the academy trust handbook and good estate management for schools, both of which provide greater clarity around what effective estate management looks like, the day-to-day responsibility for managing risk ultimately remains with individual trusts. And at the heart of that challenge sits data.
Seeing the bigger, clearer picture
One of the realities of leading a multi-site organisation is that information can quickly become disjointed. Different schools may hold data in different formats, track compliance in different ways and operate with varying levels of resource and expertise.
Individually, these approaches can work. But at trust level, they can make it difficult to build a consistent, real-time picture of the entire estate.
That matters because, as leaders, we are ultimately accountable for every building, not just the ones we can see most clearly. The question we need to answer is a simple one: do we have a complete and current understanding of the condition and compliance of our estate?
Escaping the ‘black hole’ of data
Fragmented systems inevitably create this ‘black hole’ of data, meaning visibility is often incomplete or unreliable. The biggest risk is the unknown – not knowing if a statutory check has been missed until it’s too late. In the past, as with many others, this was our reality and we needed to re-examine our approach to compliance, moving from reactive firefighting to a more structured model of estates excellence.
Issues such as RAAC have highlighted just how important that visibility is. Responding effectively requires trusts to identify risks across multiple sites quickly, assess their impact and act with confidence.
This can only be achieved by creating a single, consistent view of compliance across all sites and using data to prioritise maintenance and investment. This is not about adding complexity. In fact, it simplifies processes by reducing duplication and giving leadership teams greater confidence in the decisions they are making.
Proactive oversight for ‘gold standard’ compliance
By moving away from multiple spreadsheets and manual updates, we have now achieved a ‘single source of truth’ for our estates data with the implementation of the iAM Compliant platform, moving us from a reactive stance to a proactive one.
The estates data of all seven schools can be viewed from one dashboard and reporting to principals, governors and trustees is made simple with health scorecards and compliance overview reports.
This clarity is particularly valuable during audits. Instead of a scramble for paperwork and chasing site managers on specifics, we are consistently audit-ready. Having everything available immediately has drastically reduced the stress of external inspection. So much so, if the HSE were to arrive tomorrow to check our asbestos management procedures – which iAM helps us manage to a ‘gold standard’ – we would be confident in our compliance readiness.
Also with a lean central team, time is a critical resource. Saving several hours each week by eliminating manual reporting and follow-up emails has been a significant benefit. Additionally, when planning a boiler upgrade or roof works for a large CIF project, we are no longer digging through filing cabinets. The history and compliance data are readily accessible, making budgeting more accurate and evidence-based.
Supporting wider ongoing priorities
The asset lifecycle data collated on the platform also naturally lays the foundations for our sustainability strategy. It is not possible to effectively manage energy efficiency without a clear, data-driven understanding of the estate’s current condition. We have struggled to manage even the basics of meter readings in the past, but this data now provides the foundation needed to improve performance.
Having reliable data is essential to meet these expectations – both in demonstrating need and in evidencing impact.
Confidence through clarity
Ultimately, effective estate management comes down to confidence. Confidence that risks are understood and controlled. Confidence for staff and pupils that their environments are safe and well maintained. And confidence for government and the public that resources are being used wisely.
For trust leaders, achieving that confidence depends on clarity – and clarity depends on having the right information, in the right place, at the right time.
As the sector continues to evolve, developing that clear, consistent view of the estate will be fundamental to both effective governance and educational excellence.
Photo by Drahomír Hugo Posteby-Mach / Unsplash.
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