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SCHOOLS & ACADEMIES · MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS · UK-WIDE

The statutory duties behind a safe school, handled so your team can teach.

An asbestos survey overdue in a Victorian block. Legionella risk in a building that empties every holiday. A trust growing by conversion, and each new school arriving with its own patchy paperwork and a TUPE transfer to manage. Schools carry the same statutory health and safety duties as any employer, on top of everything else a stretched premises or business manager already juggles. Spectra handles the lot from one place, with a named consultant who understands a school estate, not just a spreadsheet of buildings.

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The statutory duties behind a safe school,
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A school leadership team reviewing compliance together
Across the estate · Statutory duties · UK-wide
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Supporting schools, academies and multi-academy trusts with the compliance a stretched team hasn't time to own.

Statutory H&S for schools & MATs
Asbestos & legionella management
HR for teaching & support staff
Your named competent person
ISO for trusts
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WHERE SCHOOLS CALL US

The statutory demands don't wait for a free period.

Most enquiries start with one of these. The earlier we're in, the less unpicking there is later — a readiness check now beats a scramble when a survey's overdue, a governor asks for evidence, or a new school joins the trust.

Asbestos in an older estate

A Victorian or mid-century block where the asbestos management survey and register are out of date, and the duty to manage sits with the school or trust whether or not anyone's actively holding it.

Legionella in a low-occupancy building

Schools empty every holiday, so water sits stagnant in pipework and tanks. Legionella risk assessment and a flushing regime are expected, and it's easy for both to lapse.

A governor or auditor wants evidence

The trust board, a responsible officer or an external audit has asked for H&S evidence in a format your current records can't produce, and the meeting is close.

A trust is converting or growing

A new school is joining the trust by conversion, arriving with its own patchy compliance history and staff to bring across under TUPE. Someone has to make the estate consistent.

An HR issue with teaching or support staff

A restructure, a long-term absence, a grievance or a conduct issue involving teaching or support staff, where school-specific terms and the risk of a tribunal make getting it right matter.

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WHAT WE COVER FOR SCHOOLS & ACADEMIES

One supplier, one set of paperwork that lines up.

The point of a single supplier is that the premises risk assessments, the H&S records, the HR casework and the trust's management systems reference the same estate and the same staff, instead of you stitching several opinions together the week a survey's due or a governor asks.

01School & academy health & safety

Premises and fire risk assessments, asbestos management surveys and registers, legionella risk assessment and control, DSEAR where you run design, DT or science, educational-visit risk assessment, and COSHH. Your named consultant acts as your competent person, so the statutory duty sits with someone qualified.

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02HR for teaching & support staff

Contracts on school-specific terms, absence and long-term sickness management, disciplinary and grievance handled properly, restructures, and TUPE when a school converts or joins a trust. The employment side of running a school workforce, done so a dismissal doesn't become a tribunal.

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03ISO for trusts

As trusts grow, some pursue ISO certification for quality (9001), environmental (14001) or occupational H&S (45001) management, or to satisfy funders and partners. We run it from gap analysis through to certification and surveillance, not just the gap analysis.

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04Proactive audits, before the inspector

Audits that stress-test your estate against current law, find the gaps and tell you how to close them, before a responsible officer, insurer or HSE inspector does. RIDDOR-reportable incidents investigated and recorded properly.

Explore Health & Safety
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WHAT WORKING WITH US IS LIKE

One named consultant who knows school estates, and knows yours.

Not a different voice each time you call. Over a year they become an extension of your team: the person who knows your buildings, your survey dates, your staffing and your last governor report. It's an ongoing advisory relationship, not a job number that closes when the report lands.

Knows your estate, your asbestos register and your survey dates
Has your evidence to hand when a governor or auditor asks
Understands school-specific terms and TUPE on conversion
You ring them directly, by name
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A business manager and Spectra consultant reviewing school compliance together
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YOUR CONSULTANTS

The specialists you'll actually work with.

You get named consultants, qualified in their field, who learn your estate and your staff. Your H&S lead owns the premises and statutory safety system alongside you; Gary leads any ISO work as the trust grows.

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Education H&S Lead

“A school estate carries the same duties as any employer, plus asbestos and legionella that a busy term makes easy to let slip. Someone competent has to own it.”

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Gary
Gary
Senior Health & Safety and ISO Consultant
Grad IOSH

“I run the full ISO journey, not just the bit at the front. The aim is a standard your business actually uses, rather than a folder that gathers dust until the auditor's due.”

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WHAT THE WORK HAS DONE FOR OTHER SCHOOLS

Estates made compliant. Conversions handled. Governors reassured.

Schools and trusts come to us for the overlap: the premises duties, the HR and, as trusts grow, the ISO, handled together.

asbestos, across the estate
1 register

“Spectra brought our asbestos surveys and register up to date across every building and set the ongoing regime, so the duty to manage is finally owned properly.”

handled on conversion
TUPE

“When two schools joined the trust, Spectra ran the TUPE process and made the compliance consistent, so we weren't inheriting a mess.”

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Not ready to talk yet? Take the 2-minute Health Check.

A few questions and you'll see where your gaps are across premises, fire, asbestos and legionella. No call attached. It's the quickest way to know whether your statutory duties would stand up to a governor's or an inspector's scrutiny.

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QUESTIONS

Schools & academies compliance questions

What health and safety duties does a school actually have?
A school is an employer, so it carries the same duties as any other employer under the Health and Safety at Work Act: to protect staff, pupils and visitors so far as is reasonably practicable. In practice that means premises and fire risk assessments, managing asbestos and legionella, safe use of equipment, COSHH, educational-visit risk assessments and a competent person overseeing it all. In a maintained school the local authority may share some duties; in an academy or trust, the trust holds them. Either way someone competent has to own the system.
Who is responsible for asbestos in a school building?
The duty to manage asbestos falls on whoever is responsible for maintenance of the premises: usually the academy trust or the local authority, depending on the school's status. That means having an asbestos management survey, a register of where asbestos is, a plan to manage it, and making sure anyone who might disturb it knows where it is. Many older school buildings contain asbestos, so this is not optional. We bring the survey and register up to date and set the regime that keeps you compliant.
Why is legionella a particular risk in schools?
Because schools empty during holidays, water sits stagnant in pipes, tanks and rarely-used outlets, which is exactly the condition legionella bacteria thrive in. The law expects you to have a legionella risk assessment and a written scheme of control, including flushing infrequently-used outlets and monitoring water temperatures. It's a duty that's easy to let slip across long breaks. We put the risk assessment and the flushing and monitoring regime in place so it doesn't.
Does DSEAR apply to school design and technology or science?
It can. DSEAR, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations, applies where flammable or explosive substances are used or stored, which can include a DT workshop, a science prep room or a kiln area. Where it applies you need to assess the risk and put controls in place. We identify where DSEAR bites in your setting and help you meet it, alongside the wider COSHH and workshop safety picture.
Can you handle HR for both teaching and support staff?
Yes. Schools employ a mix of teaching staff, often on nationally-set terms, and support staff on their own contracts, and the HR issues span both: absence and long-term sickness, disciplinary and grievance, restructures, and TUPE when a school converts or joins a trust. We provide a named HR specialist who understands the school context, so casework is handled properly and a dismissal doesn't turn into a tribunal claim.
We're converting to an academy or joining a MAT. What about the staff?
Academy conversion and joining a multi-academy trust almost always trigger TUPE: staff transfer to the new employer with their existing terms protected, and there are consultation and information duties to meet. Get it wrong and you're exposed to claims. We guide schools and trusts through the process, handle the consultation, and at the same time make the incoming school's health and safety consistent with the rest of the estate.
Should our trust get ISO certification?
It depends on your goals. Some trusts pursue ISO 9001, 14001 or 45001 to bring consistency across a growing estate, to satisfy funders or partners, or to demonstrate robust management to their board. It isn't a statutory requirement, but it can be a useful framework as a trust scales. We can run a no-obligation gap analysis first so you can decide whether the benefit justifies the effort before committing, then take it through to certification if you go ahead.
We're a small standalone school. Is this affordable for us?
Yes. Much of our education work is with single schools and smaller trusts where the premises, business or office manager is carrying compliance on top of everything else. We provide specialist competent-person cover at a price that suits a school budget, so you get the depth of a dedicated adviser without needing to employ one. We're based in Altrincham and support schools nationwide.
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Reviews

Rated excellent on Trustpilot.

Don't take our word for it. Rated 4.98 out of 5 by the businesses we support.

HR

Alison always picks up the phone and quickly sorts whatever we throw at her. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Property management client
HR support · Verified
ISO 9001

Marco expertly guided us through achieving our ISO 9001 certification. Our sincere thanks to the whole Spectra team.

Manufacturing client
ISO certification · Verified
CDM

From start to finish, Barrie was professional, knowledgeable and proactive as Principal Designer on our project.

Construction contractor
CDM / Principal Designer · Verified
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Free template: the Workplace H&S Risk Assessment

Premises hazards, COSHH, manual handling and nine more that matter in a school, scored the way the HSE expects, with a worked example. Free 30-minute review.

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Got a survey overdue, a governor asking, or a conversion ahead?

Book a free review with a consultant who understands school estates. We'll tell you what's actually urgent across your premises and your staff, and what can wait. No pitch.

Book a Free School Compliance Review Call 0161 926 8519
Book a Free Compliance Review