Backlog maintenance, the drive to net-zero carbon, and the closure of private schools were all among the topics of discussion at last week’s Education Property Forum.

Held in Surrey, the one-day event gave school leaders and estates teams the chance to engage in one-to-one meetings with suppliers of goods and services, as well as hear from industry leaders about the key issues facing the market.

The day kicked off with a session led by Ben Martin, economics practice director at HKS Architects; and Tom Ellis, director of Arcadis.

As the event was co-located with the Independent Schools Management Forum, they focused on the options open to private schools to maximise their estates and protect their futures in the wake of a significant number of closures in recent months.

I strongly encourage you to consider whether you are making the best use of your buildings

Martin said: “The future is uncertain. However, one of the things we can predict is demographics.

“For private schools it’s about utilising all your buildings.

“Can you get adult education in the evenings, or rent our spaces for sports, arts, and performance?

“It takes five to 10 years to build new infrastructure, so if you are going to need it, now is the time to be thinking about it.”

Ellis added: “Due to financial pressures, schools need to be more financially driven.

“We need to be sweating the assets and making our estates work 52 weeks of the year, not 36.

“I strongly encourage you to consider whether you are making the best use of your buildings.

Sustainable schools

“We have been speaking to universities and they rarely teach now in large theatres, yet they all have them and they are lying dormant 40-60% of the time.

“Before you make a big capital investment, get a condition report, look at how you are utilising the estate you already have – anything to make your estate more sustainable and more efficient.”

Speakers also focused on the drive to net-zero carbon and the challenges facing education estates leaders.

And the secret, they said, was ‘not to talk about net zero’. Instead they advised looking at ‘what you want to achieve’ and ‘being clear about your ambition’.

Before you make a big capital investment, get a condition report, look at how you are utilising the estate you already have – anything to make your estate more sustainable and more efficient

Alex Green, head of Let’s Go Zero, said: “We have got to get our act together. This is an opportunity to really shine.

“We see 20% of schools who will do everything, 20% who wont do anything, but there is 60% in the middle who can do all kinds of wonderful things.

“The secret of net zero, though, is not to talk about net zero.

“Instead we need to talk about what we want to achieve. Is it about wellbeing – making it a nicer place to work and learn? Or is it about financial efficiency?

A marathon, not a sprint

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so look for the easy buildings and get those ‘quick wins’ done first.

“50% of energy use in a school is when students are not in the building, so have that figure in your heads.”

She advised first focusing on solar PV, building management systems, and LED lighting.

“Keep testing the market,” she added. “The paybacks are always changing, technology is changing, and there is not a lot of funding around, so do the bits you can.”

Andrew Dutton, sector lead at Arcadis, agreed, telling the session: “We need to refer to ‘resilience’ rather than ‘net zero’. It’s about keeping the estate going in the best-possible way, dealing with risk from climate change, and trying to make buildings more efficient.

“Before making any investment, ensure your buildings are optimised and that you know where your expenditure currently is.”

We need to refer to ‘resilience’ rather than ‘net zero’. It’s about keeping the estate going in the best-possible way, dealing with risk from climate change, and trying to make buildings more efficient

With the Government mandating the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) for all public sector developments, where possible, this was also a topic for debate on the day.

Geoff Fawkes of Algeco UK said offsite construction methods had evolved ‘beyond recognition’ since the days of temporary concrete buildings which were too cold in winter and too warm in summer.

Leading the charge

And the UK is leading the charge.

“Our company works in 24 countries and get a lot of requests to take what we do in the UK overseas,” he said.

“We can now challenge the perception that MMC buildings are temporary or substandard. We work to the same planning rules and building regulations, but are choosing to build under one roof, rather than in the field.

“While the above-ground costs are comparable, the preliminaries are lower and we are starting to see data that MMC buildings have lower running costs.”

Ian Heptonstall of the Supply Chain Sustainability School added: “Programme certainty in the education sector is important. You want to know that your new facility will be ready for the new academic year and MMC offers this.”

They were joined on the panel by Hershil Patel of Arcadis and Gaynor Tennant of the Offsite Alliance.

An educated client

Tennant said: “Since COVID, MMC in the education sector has been growing and growing.

“It speeds up building delivery and the cost is comparable. There is also growing evidence that there are lower lifetime running costs, with no compromise on quality.”

All speakers advised project teams to test the market and opt for suppliers and contractors with experience in the sector.

Programme certainty in the education sector is important. You want to know that your new facility will be ready for the new academic year and MMC offers this

Fawkes said: “Be clear what you want with the brief and lock the design down early.

“With traditional construction methods you can still make changes and tweak the design on site, but with MMC you need to sign that off early.”

Heptonstall added: “Knowing what you want is really important and so is who you want to buy from.

“It’s about working with the right companies as there are good and bad contractors out there.

“The Offsite Alliance is a great place to start so you are an educated customer.”

Changing the landscape

The final talk of the day was a case study on the delivery of a new sixth form block at the private Berkhamsted School.

Led by Oliver Moore of Design Engine Architects and Martin Walker, the school’s vice principal, the session explored the importance of stakeholder engagement and vision when approaching capital development projects.

Walker said: “The original building, while characterful, was old fashioned and dark.

“We asked what would it look like if we designed the best sixth form centre in the country?

“The initial brief was for it to feel entirely different to the rest of the school. We wanted the development to help with retention and help students transition to university or work environments.

“We wanted the building to feel more like a university library or a traditional workplace and for it to change the way we teach and learn, as well as impact positively on wellbeing and behaviour.”

The design team worked with staff and students and the final building showcases a fresh approach to higher education environments.

With a central atrium, café space, an outdoor quadrangle, and a selection of study areas, the development provides a new blueprint for college spaces.

Constant dialogue

Moore explained: “There was a constant iterative dialogue throughout between the project team and the stakeholders.

“It was design by dialogue and we looked at lots of different options and arrangements, using natural materials and exploring how the building could help with things like wayfinding.”

Walker added: “We created a very open-plan and inclusive environment, with separate study areas for collaboration, semi-quiet study, and silent study. By designing in different ways we are respecting students’ autonomy and giving them a choice.

We wanted the building to feel more like a university library or a traditional workplace and for it to change the way we teach and learn, as well as impact positively on wellbeing and behaviour

“We also designed in some silent booths, with were particularly popular with neurodiverse students.

“Within the classrooms we adopted The Harkness teaching method, a student-centred approach that emphases collaborative learning through discussion, where students engage actively round a large oval table. This puts every student in the front row.

“Our aim was to make the building work hard so we could work less hard.

“We used lots of glass so there is an element of being seen and this has had a hugely-positive impact on behaviour and it feels much more like a community.”

The design team also veered away from creating dedicated spaces for teaching staff. Instead, they work in the same environments as the students, with writable surfaces throughout so both teachers and students can share their views, and retractable walls so teaching spaces can be opened up to create exam halls.

There will be a series of Education Property Forums running throughout 2026. For more information, click here.