8. Darren Rice, Health and Safety Consultant from MAC Consulting
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On this episode of Developing the Trust, joining the dots in the academy sector, Tim Warneford is in Ampthill in Bedfordshire to speak to Darren Rice, Health and safety consultant from MAC consulting.
On this episode we cover:
What brought Darren to the academy sector
Darren’s previous experience in the public sector
Working as a building surveyor, maintaining schools for the LEA
The different between providing services to LEAs v MATs
How MATs transfer risks with them
Whether the LEA manages risk better than MATs
Schools not having to think about compliance and legal issues under a LEA
Contractors providing maintenance under LEAs
Admin staff promoted to facility managers without always having the experience
Helping support to staff to become property managers or building managers
Whether there is a gap between due diligence and schools transferring to MATs
People from education backgrounds struggling to adapt to facilities management
Providing health and safety management to transfer to a business model
Cases where LEAs have not addresses issues such as asbestos
Schools being previously unaware of the cost of managing such issues
Undertaking studies to address maintenance or facilities priorities
Several schools that went self-funding but had to return to the LEA due to financial difficulties
Working with solicitors to enable schools to understand what they are going into
Key to have an organisation of property building professionals to support schools
Understanding that maintaining a building can be challenging and expensive
The frustrations of auditing functioning trusts with different health and safety systems
The benefits of centralising and standardising
New property managers not fully understanding the role
Trusts learning to run a business and bring in business minded people
Schools having to be run life a business
Unsuccessful CIF bids leaving schools vulnerable
ESFA changing CIF weighting and seeking contributions from trusts
For trusts that are struggling the concern that they will be more vulnerable
Schools struggling to balance resources between teaching and statutory compliance
In LEAs the building always coming second
Some smaller schools losing out to secondary schools
Schools with serious compliance needs but no resources faced discrimination
Primary schools feeling more comfortable with LEAs
Secondary schools converting leaving less cross subsidies
Pupils possibly having to travel to go to school
Darren wanting forward-thinking schools to come to them to ask questions
Schools sometimes wanting to brush risks under the carpet rather than bring in the professionals
The importance of talking to other schools who have already converted and finding out what lessons have been learnt
The need for more business-savvy staffing
The impact Darren would like to have on the sector
The importance of sharing knowledge and information to benefit the schools