Estate management competency framework
Functions, skills and knowledge required to effectively manage the school estate.
Download the estate management competency framework (PDF, 887KB).
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 department’s 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 school’s 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 school’s 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 school’s policies and procedures help you manage your estate effectively and efficiently.
Your responsibilities may include:
- implementing governance responsibilities for your estate
- overseeing budget planning and prioritising expenditure
- ensuring value for money from the estate
- procuring appropriate estate services
- overseeing business continuity and emergency planning arrangements
3. Understanding and managing your land and buildings
Your role may include:
- understanding the legal interests, limitations, and responsibilities for your estate
- possessing a comprehensive understanding of the condition, suitability and sufficiency of the land and buildings on your estate
- using the knowledge of your estate to inform strategic planning and decision-making
Your responsibilities may include:
- ensuring clarity about the legal interests, limitations, and responsibilities for your estate
- assessing the physical condition of the school buildings
- determining whether your estate is suitable and sufficient to meet the needs of the school
- informing your strategic planning and budget planning processes with up-to-date and accurate information on your estate
- overseeing the collection and analysis of property and condition data for your estate
4. Performance management and sustainability
Your role may include:
- delivering effective performance management across the estate
- ensuring energy, water and other resources are used efficiently and waste is kept to a minimum
Your responsibilities may include:
- overseeing performance management of the estate
- sustainably managing energy and water use across your estate
- identifying opportunities to deliver efficiencies across your estate
- pursuing collective buying opportunities
5. Health and safety and compliance
Your role may include:
- ensuring your estate is safe for all users
- ensuring that the condition of the estate and supporting policies fully comply with relevant legislation and regulatory standards
Your responsibilities may include:
- maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of all property-related health and safety issues
- taking appropriate actions to minimise any avoidable risks
- ensuring the estate complies with appropriate statutory and regulatory standards
- ensuring responsibilities for health and safety are clearly defined, understood, and allocated
6. Maintaining your estate
Your role may include:
- maintaining a safe, warm, and weatherproof estate, which supports good teaching and learning
- ensuring maintenance is effectively planned and prioritised, informed by accurate and up-to-data condition data and the needs of your school’s users
Your responsibilities may include:
- overseeing technical assessments of the condition of your estate
- using accurate and up-to-date data on your land and buildings to inform a maintenance strategy and plan that are fit for purpose
- using the maintenance strategy and plan to inform strategic decision-making and budget planning
- ensuring maintenance planning is appropriately prioritised and delivered in line with statutory and regulatory requirements, while minimising the impact on your school operations
7. Managing your estate projects
Your role may include:
- ensuring all estate-related projects are clearly defined, follow approved processes, and use resources to best effect
- ensuring all estate-related projects deliver the desired outcomes
Your responsibilities may include:
- developing and implementing processes to ensure all projects are robustly defined, appraised, and prioritised
- ensuring all projects comply with statutory requirements, reflect budgetary constraints, and are effectively planned and managed to minimise impact on your school operations
- ensuring all projects meet strategic outcomes and time and cost requirements
This framework includes competency levels to reflect the various levels of roles and responsibility for estates management in the school environment. This ranges from operational responsibility for specific tasks, to strategic responsibility including planning and leadership.
We have defined 4 competency levels to provide an overview of the capabilities, skills and knowledge required at all levels of the estate workforce.
Competency level 1: operative
Undertakes defined site-specific tasks and functions.
Responsibilities may include:
- day to day repairs and minor works
- daily site checks
- opening and closing of site
Roles at this level might include:
- caretaker
- office assistant
- site assistant or facilities assistant
Competency level 2: supervisor
Undertakes and ensures site-specific tasks and functions are conducted effectively.
Responsibilities may include:
- being the first point of contact or reporting of premises or site issues
- identifying, and addressing training needs
- supervising staff at level 1
Roles might include:
- office manager
- facilities team leader
- assistant manager, or supervisor
Competency level 3: manager
Conducts some planning and reporting of estates activities, and may manage others.
Responsibilities may include:
- developing and managing delivery of the asset management plan
- management of estate projects
- managing health and safety compliance
- managing estates staff
Roles at this level might include:
- estate manager
- business manager
- premises manager
- contract manager or maintenance manager
Competency level 4: strategic
Leads strategic planning of the estate and is responsible for all estates activities.
Responsibilities may include:
- strategic planning
- responsibility and accountability for the school estate
- ensuring estate matters are considered at senior or board level
Roles at this level might include:
- estates director
- regional director
- head of estates
The levels and roles are intended to provide awareness of the relevant functions and to help recognise the different activities and responsibilities that individuals may undertake.
Schools and responsible bodies:
- will have people in place to manage their estates according to their individual needs and circumstances
- will not necessarily have a person for every level, and many school estate practitioners may not operate exclusively according to these individual levels
- may have one person responsible for managing the estate whose role includes both strategic responsibility and operational delivery