We are delighted to share the outstanding outcome of our recent Estates Management (Strategy and Operations) internal scrutiny audit, carried out on 8th December 2025. The audit provided independent assurance to our trustees that our legal compliance duties across our buildings, are operating effectively.

The results speak volumes about the strength of our systems:

• Level of Assurance: Risks are mitigated to an acceptable level with an adequate and effective control environment in operation.
• High Priority Recommendations: 0
• Medium Priority Recommendations: 0
• Low Priority Recommendations: 0
• Formal Recommendations: None – the report confirms that our control environment is strong, well managed, and demonstrably delivering well.

This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team. We are incredibly proud of Rachael Barnacle, our Estates and Health & Safety Officer, and Kate Staples, our Chief Operations Officer, whose leadership and commitment have ensured that our estates strategy aligns with organisational objectives, statutory compliance, and sustainability goals. The school site teams have worked incredibly hard to embed the new processes and support each other with achieving this amazing report.

The audit highlighted several areas of excellence, including:

• A clearly defined Estate Strategy aligned with long-term vision, safeguarding, curriculum delivery, and sustainability objectives.
• Robust Health & Safety compliance, with 99% compliance across statutory checks and audits.
• Effective maintenance planning and asset management, supported by systems like Parago for long-term tracking.
• Transparent procurement and contract management, ensuring value for money and compliance with regulations.
• Strong training and development processes, with a commitment to continuous improvement.

This success reflects our trust-wide commitment to providing safe, sustainable, and well-managed learning environments for all our schools. It also reinforces our values of #EveryoneBelongsLearnsGrows.

Congratulations to all of our site teams, Rachael, Kate, and everyone involved in achieving this outstanding result. Your hard work ensures that our schools can focus on what matters most – delivering exceptional education for every learner.