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MANAGING SCHOOLS DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS BUILDING OUR FUTURE: SCOTLAND'S SCHOOL ESTATE
3. DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD
COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS
Liaison with the local authority and the contractor
1. Before construction activities commence on site, it is important for the school to be aware of the project communication arrangements between the local authority project manager and the contractor. Regular site meetings are likely to be held, and it may be appropriate for the school to be represented, or to be briefed on progress.
2. In many projects, day-to-day communication should be encouraged between the school co-ordinator and the contractor's site manager regarding 'housekeeping' matters which will affect the running of the school.
3. As well as having a clear understanding of the design and contract programme, the school should also be aware of what terms and conditions, if any, were included in the contract regarding the contractor's working restrictions, health and safety, security and so on. The school itself will have no authority to enforce the terms of the contract. It is therefore essential to establish a single point of contact with the local authority for all communication regarding the project.
Keeping staff and pupils informed
4. The flow of information to and from school users is very important throughout the project. This is usually an element of the school co-ordinator's role.
5. Existing communication arrangements within the school such as regular departmental and whole staff meetings should be used wherever possible rather than setting up separate project meetings. However, staff should be able to raise individual issues directly with the school co-ordinator.
6. Pupils are usually kept informed about the project through school assemblies and feedback is often provided through the pupil council or through 'house structures' where these operate in secondary schools.
7. The project is also likely to feature heavily on the agenda of any School Board and PTA meetings. The HT and school co-ordinator, as well as the contractor, may well be expected to make regular progress reports at these meetings.
8. One secondary school undergoing a major refurbishment set up a specific project users group which met monthly throughout the duration of the project. The group consisted of members representing staff, pupils, parents and others from the school community. Meetings were chaired by the HT and were attended by the local authority project manager and the contractor.
MANAGING HAZARDS AND DISRUPTIONS
9. The contractor will manage the health and safety and security aspects of the construction activities in any project. However, this in itself does not prevent the school from having to consider a number of health and safety matters or having to prepare at certain times for considerable disruption to the normal day-to-day running of the school.
Health and safety / security
10. The school will need to monitor its health and safety management procedures throughout the project and carry out additional risk assessments where appropriate. In particular, any alterations to fire escape routes and gathering points, access arrangements and site boundaries should be clearly identified. Arrangements should be clearly displayed in the school with signage amended as appropriate. Fire drills should be undertaken each time escape routes are changed.
11. Prior to construction commencing on site, all school users should be briefed on the health and safety arrangements for the project. Presentations to school assemblies by the contractor, often incorporating protective clothing and some basic statistics about construction site safety, are generally considered to have more impact than if these were delivered by the school management team.
12. As school holidays approach further advice should be issued to pupils regarding the hazards of building sites. Security monitoring will be provided by the contractor but in some instances it may also be appropriate to alert the local police who may patrol the site at high risk periods.
13. Where work needs to be carried out in occupied buildings, contractor's staff may require to gain access to parts of the construction site through operational parts of the school. These situations generally place greater responsibilities on the contractor's staff and school users. These responsibilities need to be understood by all.
14. It may be considered appropriate in these situations for the contractor's staff to wear agreed forms of identification and to be prepared to be challenged by staff on school premises. It may also be considered necessary to caution contractor's staff to avoid initiating contact with pupils. It has also been known for school pupils to abuse construction workers, so the conduct of school users must also be considered and managed.
15. Despite contractual agreements, breaches in health and safety procedures can still occur in these situations. For example contractor's staff may leave doors unlocked or materials and equipment unattended in circulation routes. School users should be particularly vigilant about possible hazzards and procedures should be in place to report such incidents.
Managing disruptions
16. A certain degree of inconvenience is unavoidable during a major construction project. The level of disruption likely to be experienced by the school will depend upon a variety of factors such as the scale and type of building operations, their proximity to the school activities, the time at which the works are carried out, and the constraints of the existing buildings and site.
17. The following examples are the most common disruptions reported by schools during construction projects:
- Dust and dirt : Apart from being particularly uncomfortable, airborne dust and dirt can give rise to medical complaints leading to staff and pupil absences. Locating classrooms which require natural ventilation away from construction activities, and insisting on the constructing and maintaining of seals in affected areas can help to minimise the ingress of dust and dirt. In some cases, it may be appropriate to arrange additional cleaning for the school during the project.
- Noise : Health and Safety regulations ensure that noise levels will not be hazardous to health, but they may still be extremely distracting. Where construction works are in close proximity to the school, the contractor may be excluded from undertaking certain noisy activities during particular periods such as exams. It may also be possible for the school to request the contractor, on an informal basis, to reduce noise levels for short periods from time to time.
- Distractions from increased traffic, both vehicular and personnel : In order to avoid continuing distraction it may be possible to locate particularly sensitive school classes and activities away from the main site access and construction works. Ensure site activities are appropriately screened and avoid allowing contractor's staff access through pupil areas.
- Frequent changes to access points and circulation routes : the need to advise school users of continuing changes in access arrangements can be disruptive and resource intensive. This should be considered when agreeing the sequence of phasing of the construction works.
- Planned and unplanned interruptions to water, gas, power, ICT services ; prior consultation and contingency planning with staff about the consequences of a particular service failure or disconnection will allow the school to better manage these situations when they occur.
- Reduced playground space, loss of playing fields and car parking : The loss of amenities during the constrution process is often an unavoidable source of inconvenience to school users. However, early consultation with those affected, provides the opportunity to investigate and implement alternatives.
COMPLETION
Migration management
18. In new-build projects, the actual move into the new building can present a logistical challenge for the school. Where possible, staff (and in some cases pupils) should tour the new building prior to completion. This allows users to get an initial feel for the layout of the new building, and assists staff in taking ownership of the new spaces.
19. In many cases, it has proved worthwhile to employ a specialist 'migration manager' to work with the school to co-ordinate the move. This professional service can be provided by some removal companies, or could be a separate commission to a firm of project managers.
20. It is important to be flexible in providing staffing cover to release teaching and non-teaching staff to undertake tasks associated with the move.Teaching staff are usually given one or two days of non-teaching time to manage the packing of resources and equipment, with the actual moving of materials being carried out by removal staff under the supervision of the migration manager. The unpacking and setting up of new accommodation may also take one or two non-teaching days.
21. In one school, pupils assisted in preparing for the move. The tasks associated with the exercise, such as making inventories and the management of packing, were incorporated into a module of the Home Economics curriculum.
22. This process may take much longer for some practical departments, which may have a significant amount of teaching material to move and store. Specialist removal arrangements may be required for particularly bulky, sensitive, hazardous or valuable items such as grand pianos, ICT equipment, toxic chemicals or trophies and art works. In these cases, detailed inventories may be required, and insurance arrangements checked as part of the planning exercise.
23. Where a major move is planned over a summer break period, it may be necessary to temporarily set up two offices at the school site to maintain a continuous communication link for the school during the change-over from one administration set-up to another.
24. The process of introducing students into a completely new building will also require significant planning. In a large secondary school, for example, it may be necessary to provide induction information at an assembly followed by an orientation tour of the building. This could be carried out in year groups on a staggered basis over the course of a whole school day.
Marking the end of the process
25. It is important to celebrate the completion of the school project with some formal ceremony. This should not be arranged for immediately after the school has taken occupation of the new or refurbished building, as it will take some time for the staff and pupils to settle in and to optimise their use of the new accommodation. Equally, the event should not be left so late as to miss capturing the initial enthusiasm and anticipation which is associated with taking ownership of a new facility.
Post completion
26. Once occupied, a new or substantially refurbished building may present teething problems for some time. The role of the school co-ordinator is sometimes at its most demanding during this period, and it may be necessary to continue their remit, as well as enhancing other support staffing, for up to 6 months following 'completion' of the project.
27. The school is likely to receive numerous requests from visitors wishing to view the new building for up to and beyond a year after completion. Guided tours can become a drain on staff resources, and a large number of visitors can prove a disruption to teaching and learning. In many cases, visitors may wish to take photographs of the school and this may not be appropriate in areas used by pupils. Providing information about the school building on a handout or on the school website may reduce the demand for general visits. Including a 'virtual tour' or downloadable images of the building can avoid the need for visitors to take their own photographs.
Post occupancy evaluation
28. Consultation with stakeholders throughout a school building project is an important part of the school estate strategy. Conducting an evaluation on how well the new school has met the needs and expectations of school users is a logical conclusion to this consultation process.
29. Recent guidance on Evaluation published under the school estate strategy 9 suggests that a post occupancy evaluation should be carried out on every major school building project about one year after completion. This type of evaluation will demonstrate the local authority's progress on improving its school estate, identify issues in the new building which can be addressed through 'fine tuning' and inform the thinking and briefing for future school projects.
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