Plan | Practice | Maintain

Aligning facilities to school's vision

Creating holistic learning environments

Published March 2023

Other than human resources, facilities management (refurbishment, energy bills and maintenance) is the next biggest expense of schools. If neglected, all stakeholders will be affected and if invested-in and renewed, all stakeholders will be enriched. This article is about how to invest in this crucial aspect of schools!

Start with a well-led team

Successful teams have great leaders. Recruit carefully for the leader of this team as that person’s most important role will be to build a good team. The most impressive facilities management leader I worked with was creative, resourceful, and great at talent spotting. This role requires a lot of diverse skill sets, it is important to recognise that a well-selected team is the only way to meet the demands of this role.

Make this team a true part of the school

This team should help the school run at its best, not just enable the school to run around it. Ensure that the team understands the school's vision and mission. Just because they will not be in the classroom does not mean they cannot impact the classroom.

For example, if the school aims to ensure students connect with nature, this will be foremost in their minds when designing classrooms, refurbishing, or purchasing equipment.

Invite them to shadow a teacher or student for the day so they experience school life within the context of major stakeholders. Encourage them to participate in extracurricular events to enable them to network with other staff and give them an opportunity to evaluate the wider flexibility and potential of the workspaces.

Invest in their growth

Just as educational research is constantly evolving and giving us new and better ways to engage students, so are school facilities resources and management. Subscriptions to a range of facilities, community resources and attendance at annual expos would be an easy way to ensure this happens. Sometimes, your team will be the one to start a network to exchange ideas or share resources, just do it!

Although many school structures have limitations baked-in, renovations and extensions are a great opportunity to realign structures with vision. When achieved, the entire environment contributes to learning outcomes and wellbeing.