Effective Estate Management: Putting the ‘E’ into Operations
How School Business Leaders can embed estates into strategic planning and lead with confidence
Seminar brief
Estates management has evolved far beyond routine maintenance — it’s now a critical area of strategic leadership. For School Business Leaders, effective estate planning and oversight is as essential as managing finance, HR or procurement. Poor estate management can result in serious consequences, making it vital that estates is integrated into your operational strategy and taken seriously at senior leadership level.
In this session, we’ll explore how you can raise the profile of estates within your school or trust, use the GEMS and the DfE’s Estate Management Competency Framework to build internal expertise, and make more confident decisions as an informed client. We’ll also look at how the condition and quality of your estate links directly to educational outcomes – and what excellent estates leadership looks like in practice.
IN THIS SEMINAR, WE WILL EXPLORE
Why estate management is a strategic leadership responsibility
How to secure SLT engagement and integrate estates into operational planning
The role of GEMS and the DfE’s Competency Framework in strengthening estates practice
How to act as an informed client when commissioning work or working with suppliers
How effective estate leadership can support improved pupil outcomes
TAKE-HOME POINTS
Practical ways to embed estates into your wider operations strategy
Insights into using national frameworks to support excellence in estates leadership
Tools to help you lead confidently on estates, even if you’re not a technical expert
Clear steps to raise the profile of estates in your setting and make it a team-wide priority
THIS SESSION IS FOR
School Business Leaders, Operations Leads and those responsible for estate planning and supplier management
Jonathan Jones
About the speaker
Jon Jones is a Director at MAC responsible for the education sector and working with 500+ schools and academies nationally. He is a Chartered Construction Manager with a background in management consultancy and a former Head of Estates for a Multi Academy Trust. Jon leads MAC’s multi-disciplinary teams providing estates and construction management services to schools, academies, and the FE and HE sectors, from seven regional offices. This expertise supports MAC’s clients to manage their estate according to the DfE’s ‘Good Estates Management’ principles and includes advice on Condition and Compliance Surveys; Capital Funding Support; Design and Project Management; and Decarbonisation.