TTN Webinar: Capital Advisors Programme - Lessons Learned

The DfE recently published their findings following a pilot of its Capital Advisors Programme with 20 trusts visited in 2021-22 and  50 trusts visited in 2022-23. The programme also involved revisits to the original 20 trusts to see what changes had been made and any associated effect.

The report notes some interesting findings,

• Good Estate Management for Schools: Trusts who use GEMS received fewer recommendations for improvement than trusts that didn’t follow GEMS

• Condition surveys: Over three quarters of the trusts visited received recommendations for improvement regarding the commissioning and/or use of school condition surveys.

• Asset Management Plans: Most trusts in the pilot did not have AMPs in place. Although this increased at revisit stage, trusts with AMPs were still in the minority.

• Project Planning: The highest average number of recommendations provided to trusts was in the area of project planning.

It should be noted that these findings do relate to only a small sample size and improvements were seen where trusts had been revisited.

To support members in this area, Rob Gould and Matt Isherwood from Barker will be reviewing the GEMS guidance with a focus on these four areas. The session will include useful tips and resources for applying the GEMS principles.