About us

Warneford Consulting provides estate strategy services to academy trusts, schools, and further education colleges across England.

We specialise in estate, energy, and bid management strategies, supporting responsible bodies to plan, fund, and deliver improvements across their estates. Our work includes producing bespoke CIF funding submissions and securing fully funded (zero capex and opex) renewable energy solutions.

We also work closely with trusts and colleges on income generation and building surveys, leading and managing projects through our trusted network of independent estate strategy specialists.

Supporting Responsible Bodies in a Changing Landscape

We support responsible bodies in aligning with the Department for Education’s evolving estate strategy, helping organisations move toward a more structured, standards-led approach to estate management.

Our focus is on ensuring clients can confidently evidence:

Standards-led decision making and governance
Structured, digital estate data readiness
Robust planning aligned to funding and reporting requirements
Programme readiness for renewal, retrofit, and long-term investment

By combining strategic insight with practical delivery, we help trusts and further education colleges move from understanding their estate, securing funding, and delivering sustainable outcomes.

Meet the Team

Tim Warneford MCIOB,
Partner

With degrees in both social sciences and building surveying, Tim has always been focused on the causal links between a fit for purpose environment and an individual achieving their potential. Having previously worked client-side within the social housing sector delivering high-volume maintenance programmes and later for Blue Chip companies installing energy efficiency schemes across the UK, Tim is ideally positioned to provide strategic estate, energy and funding services to academy trusts and further education colleges of all sizes.

He is a regular presenter at sector conferences, writes for TES and Schools Week, comments for the BBC, and Sky News on issues relating to the school estate and the route to decarbonisation. He also produces the topical Developing the Trust podcast series, which has now had over 10,000 listeners/viewers.

James Smurthwaite MCIOB
Partner

James is a sustainability-focused engineer and consultant with over 15 years of experience in building services. Since graduating in Mechanical Engineering in 2007, he’s worked across industrial cooling, heat pump adoption, and corporate decarbonisation—developing strong technical expertise and a clear mission: to accelerate the shift to low-carbon, energy-efficient buildings.

As a Partner at Warneford Consulting and previous founder of Green Net Zero, James leads on energy and carbon reduction, with a particular focus on the education sector. His work helps schools secure funding, improve energy performance, and reduce emissions, creating more sustainable and resilient estates.

Claire Kershaw,
Director

Claire provides a range of strategic estate and bid management advice to the team. With over 20 years experience working for first-tier contractors across the housing and utilities sectors, Claire’s reputation as one of the best and most successful bid managers is evidenced by Warneford Consulting’s highly successful bid award conversion rate.

Kevin Yardley,
Consultant, Acquiesce Solutions

Kevin has most recently transformed the income generation and facilities model in education having developed the business activities of a financially struggling multi-academy trust from a zero base to become the industry leader in that field. He has pioneered innovative funding models to deliver new build facilities for schools on operating leases. Coupled with commercial partnerships, these buildings then deliver a net positive financial contribution to the host school.

Gary Pleece,
Bear Creative

Bear Creative is a full-service digital marketing agency with a network of designers, programmers, SEO specialists, content creators, and strategists delivering big ideas for your business. Tim works closely with the team, but specifically Gary Pleece on marketing and PR strategy.

Tommy Warneford BSc

Tommy has joined Warneford Consulting to provide data analysis and account management support. He joins fresh from completing an Accounting and Finance degree at Sussex University.

Other Associates
Over the years, Warneford Consulting has amassed a network of talented, trusted associates with whom we work regularly. This includes:

Chartered Surveyors
Structural Engineers
M&E Consultants
Fire Safety Consultants
Health & Safety Consultants
PFI Consultants
Energy Procurement Consultants

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Testimonials

Tim’s expertise in liaising with the trust and co-ordinating the essential professional service providers was of enormous value. The trust needed expert advice on due diligence for both expansion and for disposal of land.

June Kershaw

Executive Head

Tim was worked tirelessly for the trust and secured us vital funding for which we are very grateful. His passion and commitment are self-evident and he can always be relied upon to be open and honest.

Roz Hodges

Head of School

The Trust were delighted to have been awarded the vital funding. Tim was very supportive from the beginning and always responded quickly to ensure that project completion was both on time and to the agreed standard. The trust will be using his services for future projects and would highly recommend Tim to anyone considering a bid.

Joe Frame

Principal

I was put in touch with Tim late last year with a few weeks to go for the CIF deadline. I found Tim to be very responsive, and worked in partnership with myself to put in a successful CIF bid at short notice. I found Tim to be very knowledgeable and responsive about the process, advising me very well on this process but also on wider estates issues that have arisen.

Doug Thorpe

Finance & Operations Director

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