Our Property & Compliance Services
Our bespoke packages give you access to specialists who guide you in making your school property a safe and healthy environment for pupils, staff and everyone else who uses your school. Plus, our network of accredited contractors conduct work competently – giving you peace of mind that the fabric of your school is in good shape.
What we can do for your school
We deliver a comprehensive set of services covering every aspect of health and safety for your school property. Below, you can explore our range of assessments, audits, reviews and training – all delivered by fully qualified and experienced specialists.
Asbestos inspections, management planning & documentation
We can arrange to survey for hazardous asbestos-containing materials on your school property, and take the necessary steps to remove them or manage them through appropriate reporting and monitoring.
COSHH register compilation & risk assessments
Call on us to guidance on Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations. We’ll help you to identify and manage risks from any substances on the school property that could be a potential threat to health.
Compliance systems audits
Having an auditing procedure in place ensures that your school’s health and safety performance is monitored and understood – so you can be sure it complies with all relevant legislation. We can arrange this for your school.
DSE assessments & follow up support
We can help you to assess whether display screen equipment (DSE), such as computer monitors, is being used safely and legally in your school. Our team supports you in setting up procedures to reduce health impacts of screen use.
E-Learning package selection, support & guidance
We’ll help you to identify the health, safety and wellbeing support that would benefit your staff and your school, and to recommend a mix of digital learning resources that best suits your situation.
Electrical risk assessments, reviews and policies
The risks around electrics can be a serious concern in schools. We can help you to assess hazards that could lead to electrocution or fire, and to take the right precautions and put in place timely maintenance procedures.
Face to face training – All Staff Awareness, Fire Marshal & Asbestos Management
We can arrange for a qualified adviser to deliver training to your school staff in person. This allows you to appoint a member of your team to be a fire marshal to oversee evacuation plans and for someone to monitor areas where asbestos is present.
Fire Risk assessment reviews and policies
Our team can assess the sources of fire risks on your school property in order to mitigate against hazards. Plus, we’ll work with you to create policies that guide fire safety precautions and actions in the event of an outbreak of fire.
General people & premises risk assessment preparation & guidance
Good health and safety at school is everyone’s responsibility. We can risk assess your school property to identify hazards, and help you to guide all staff, pupils and visitors to take the right actions to keep themselves and others safe.
Health, safety and welfare in a nursery setting
Our dedicated IOSH-accredited adviser is on hand to fully guide your Nursery in meeting its health and safety obligations – with targeted training, inspections and advice.
Supporting you to get it right
We believe that the Health, Safety and Welfare of a Nursery setting, its employees and other persons who may be affected by its activities, including children and parents or carers, should be of primary concern to both the staff and management of the nursery setting. We therefore promote a positive safety culture and encourage management and staff to work in partnership to ensure that its statutory duties with regard to safety are met at all times.
Almost half of all accidents in Early Years settings are attributed to a slip or a trip, the main causes being slippery or wet floors and toys and play equipment left uncleared. Objects falling from height (when storing or accessing materials, equipment or toys) is a very real hazard in nurseries, as too is the risk of people falling from steps and ladders when accessing stored objects. Manual handling injuries such as back injuries, Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) like shoulder strain or soft tissue injuries to the wrists, arms, or neck also feature quite regularly.
PLP’s Property & Compliance offer delivers a service that reduces risks and hazards in Nurseries. Our adviser will conduct in-person visits, audits and inspections to give personalised guidance on the measures needed to meet health and safety requirements and legal compliance responsibilities.
What we offer
For £595, our bespoke package gives you access to a specialist who will undertake:
An Initial Visit to conduct a Health & Safety Administration check including a review of your:
- H&S Policy
- Risk Assessment Register, and the procedures for writing, recording and reviewing Risk Assessments
- Policy on Electrical Safety including the safe use and inspection of equipment
- Fire Risk Management and evacuation procedures, including staff awareness, recording of drills and the arrangements for any vulnerable children and adults.
- Statutory checks on fire equipment, precautions and prevention awareness
A Premises Risk Assessment focussing on security and premises and equipment safety to:
- Help you identify current hazards, risks or breaches of regulation
- Highlight what needs to be done to keep everyone that uses your setting protected from the real risks and significant harm that can arise in buildings and on the premises
- Identify areas where additional staff training or awareness may be needed or deemed beneficial.
Face-to-face training relevant to a nursery setting and adapted to the needs of your Nursery, including:
- Fire Awareness
- Asbestos Awareness
- Electrical Safety
- Work at Height Awareness, including the safe use of step ladders and step stools
- Manual Handling and Safe Storage
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Basics
- Slips, Trips, and Falls
- Display Screen Equipment, including use of tablets and mobile phones
- Risk Assessments
Ongoing support and advice throughout the year.
How we can support you with health, safety and welfare in school
Our dedicated IOSH-accredited adviser is on hand to guide your school in meeting its health and safety obligations through targeted inspection and training. PLP’s Property & Compliance offer delivers a service that will reduce the risks and hazards in your school and provide training to all staff to improve their awareness. You can choose module/s to suit your needs, with each module costing £250, or flexible bundles of 2 modules for £450 or 3 for £650.
Module 1 is a walkaround in the form of a Premises Risk Assessment focusing on security, premises and equipment safety to:
- Help you identify current hazards, risks or breaches of regulation
- Highlight what needs to be done to keep everyone that uses your setting protected from the real risks and significant harm that can arise in buildings and on the premises
- Identify areas where additional staff training or awareness may be needed or deemed beneficial.
Module 2 is a 90 minute, face-to-face Staff Awareness Training session relevant to an education setting and adapted to the needs of your school, including:
- Fire Awareness
- Asbestos Awareness
- Electrical Safety
- Work at Height Awareness, including the safe use of step ladders and step stools
- Manual Handling and Safe Storage
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Basics
- Slips, Trips, and Falls
- Display Screen Equipment, including use of tablets and mobile phones
- Risk Assessments
Module 3 is a 2 hour Fire Marshal Course, for up to 15 people, held at your school, covering:
- Legislation
- Nature of fire - chemistry of fire, causes, spread
- Classes of fire
- Extinguishing fires – extinguisher types and use
- Identifying Hazards and risks – Risk Assessments
- Proactive duties – arson awareness, housekeeping and storage
- Precautions – compartmentation, detection, periodic checks
- Reactive duties – evacuation, escape strategies, PEEPS
- Evacuation procedure – your role, behavioural expectations
- Fire drills, importance, role, expectations, debrief
- Calling and dealing with the Fire & Rescue Service
Legionella risk assessment follow up and training support
The health risk posed by the presence of legionella bacteria in water systems is potentially very serious. We can assess your school’s susceptibility to legionella and guide appointed staff to take precautions to control the risk.
Premises risk assessment and reviews
We can conduct a risk assessment across your school premises to identify potential hazards are and ensure that you’re taking the necessary actions to manage the risks – with regular reviews to check whether the situation has changed.
RIDDOR guidance and assistance, incident follow up and investigation
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), your school is required to report certain health and safety related incidents that have happened. We can help with all aspects of this.
Senior management & site teams support & training
Equip your school leaders and designated team members with the skills and understanding they need to maintain your school’s practices and policies for health, safety and facilities management.
Frequently asked questions
How often should we portable appliance test electrical items?
The frequency of inspection and testing depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it is used in. For example, a vacuum cleaner used daily in the corridors and around the entrance areas should be examined more frequently than a lamp in a classroom. For guidance on suggested frequencies of inspection and testing, see Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment in low-risk environments
Do I need to keep records of PA Testing, and should items tested be labelled?
There is no legal requirement to label equipment that has been inspected or tested, nor is there a requirement to keep records of these activities. However, a record and / or labelling can be a useful management tool for monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the maintenance scheme – and to demonstrate that a scheme exists.
I hot desk, so do I need to carry out display screen assessments every time?
In law, your employer must carry out a workstation assessment, looking at the whole workstation, including equipment, furniture, and work conditions, and the job being done. They must also provide you with the necessary training so that you understand the risks in DSE work and how to avoid these by safe working practices. Those who hot desk will need to complete the same assessment as those with fixed workstations, however, they will also conduct their own dynamic risk assessment when they move to another desk. This simply requires them to do a quick review of their new workstation which will include adjusting their chair, monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc, so that all equipment is in harmony to their specific requirements as much as possible.
When is a ladder right for a job?
The law says that ladders can be used for work at height when a risk assessment has shown that using equipment offering a higher level of fall protection is not justified because of the low risk and short duration of use; or there are existing workplace features which cannot be altered. You should only use ladders when you have completed the appropriate training and in situations where they can be used safely, where the ladder will be level and stable, and where its reasonably practicable to do so, the ladder can be secured.
Should the school be providing me with PPE?
Yes. Employers should provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and training in its usage to their employees wherever there is a risk to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled by other means.
How often do we need to do an evacuation drill?
School fire drills are critical in ensuring the safe evacuation of everyone. It is important to practice the fire evacuation procedure so that everyone on the premises is familiar with the process and so that evacuation can be carried out as quickly as possible in a real emergency. They should be carried out at least once per full term at different times of the day. Ideally, different scenarios should be practiced with a ‘fire’ deemed to be in a specific location each time and blocking an escape route. This way, staff, fire marshals and pupils are best prepared for changing circumstances
What is the target time for a fire evacuation drill?
There is no target time for a whole school evacuation drill. The aim will always be to achieve a full, effective, and efficient evacuation, but the greater value lies in getting the best from the drill, checking that the Evacuation Plan is still relevant and identifying any shortcomings in the plan or procedure. As the new school year brings new children and staff into the school and a change of classroom for most of those returning, it is recommended that the first drill of the year is kept simple and carried out at a slower pace.
What is the minimum temperature allowed for a classroom?
There is no legal minimum or maximum temperature. Schools should follow government guidance on workplace temperatures, which requires a 'reasonable' indoor temperature. For classrooms (i.e. places where people aren't doing physical work) the guidance says this is a minimum of 16ºC. There is no guidance on maximum temperature, but your emergency or critical incident plan should cover 'severe weather' – for example, heatwaves.
What PLP's values mean for schools
We’re always here to deliver reliable advice and to help you adapt quickly to changing safety regulations.
Our overarching purpose is to help keep your school safe and empower people to take the right actions.
We use an innovative mix of personal guidance, training and digital resources to deliver the best possible service.
Collaborations between our advisors, contractors and school staff are central to effective health and safety strategy.
We'd love to support you
Please reach out to our friendly team at our office using the details below.