Estates and facilities
The estates competency covers the school site, the asset register, statutory compliance for buildings, capital bidding under CIF or SCA, and the day-to-day relationship with the site team. Good Estate Management for Schools is the spine document.
Good Estate Management for Schools
GEMS sets the DfE expectation that every school maintains a strategic estate document, a condition survey and a forward maintenance plan. The bursar is the natural owner of the GEMS file and normally chairs the internal estates working group.[1]
CIF and SCA capital bids
Academies bid into the Condition Improvement Fund; maintained schools rely on the local authority's School Condition Allocation. The annual CIF bid window opens each autumn and closes early in the new calendar year. The bursar drafts the financial case; the head and chair sign off the strategic case.[2]
Asset register
A reliable asset register supports the year-end accounts, the insurance valuation and the disposal log. The register should be reviewed at least annually, normally during the summer term, and reconciled to the fixed asset note in the audited accounts.[3]