School premises compliance calendar: what to check and when

This guide is a part of the School Premises Compliance Hub – School Premises Compliance Hub: Statutory Checks & Risk Management | Incensu

A clear school premises compliance calendar helps school leaders stay on top of statutory checks, reduce risk, and avoid last-minute scrambles before audits, inspections or insurance renewals. The aim is not to create more paperwork—it’s to make sure the right checks happen at the right time, actions are followed through, and evidence is easy to find.

Step 1: Assign ownership (so nothing falls between roles)

Start by agreeing who is responsible for booking, who is responsible for sign-off, and who is responsible for record keeping. In many schools this sits across the Headteacher, SBM, premises manager/site team and (in trusts) the central estates team.

Create a simple “RACI” note (Responsible / Accountable / Consulted / Informed) for each compliance area. Even a one-page table is enough.

Useful external link: The DfE’s Good estate management for schools guidance includes expectations around planning and oversight.  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/good-estate-management-for-schools 

Step 2: Build your compliance list (your calendar inputs)

Your calendar should include:

• Statutory checks (required by law)

• Risk-assessment-driven checks (based on your site and usage)

• Planned servicing (to keep systems safe and reliable)

• Routine site checks (daily/weekly/monthly)

A practical starting point is to group your calendar into:

• Fire safety

• Electrical safety

• Asbestos management (where applicable)

• Water hygiene / legionella (where applicable)

• Gas safety (where applicable)

• Lifting equipment / LOLER (where applicable)

• Playground and outdoor equipment (where applicable)

• Building condition / fabric checks

Step 3: Decide your “evidence pack” (what you must be able to produce)

A school premises compliance calendar is only half the job—leaders also need confidence that evidence exists and actions are closed.

Create a simple evidence checklist for each area:

• The latest certificate/report

• The previous certificate/report (useful for trends)

• The action log (what was found, what was done, when)

• Contractor competence evidence (insurance, qualifications)

• Any communications to staff (where relevant)

Useful external links:

• HSE – Managing health and safety in schools  https://www.hse.gov.uk/services/education/schools.htm 

• DfE – Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/health-and-safety-responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools 

Step 4: Put it into a simple annual rhythm

A school-friendly approach is:

• Monthly: premises walkrounds, emergency lighting quick checks (where applicable), action log review

• Termly: fire drill records review, contractor schedule review, update the risk register

• Annually: key servicing, policy/risk assessment reviews, compliance calendar refresh

Don’t over-engineer the tool. A spreadsheet, a shared calendar, or a simple planner board can work—what matters is consistency.

Step 5: Plan contractor access and lead times

Common failure points are not the checks themselves, but access, timing and follow-up.

Build in:

• Lead time for booking (especially for surveys)

• Safeguarding requirements (ID, sign-in, supervision)

• Out-of-hours needs (alarm testing, shutdowns)

• Time for remedial works (not just the inspection)

Step 6: Review actions like you review safeguarding

Treat compliance actions like safeguarding actions: assign an owner, a due date, and a review point. A short monthly “compliance actions” slot in SLT/operations meetings can prevent drift.

Find trusted suppliers (Incensu categories)

Look for suppliers displaying the Education Supplier Badge

• Health & Safety:  https://incensu.co.uk/single-category/health-and-safety/ 

• Facilities Management:  https://incensu.co.uk/single-category/facilities-management/ 

• Building Consultants (surveys/compliance support):  https://incensu.co.uk/single-category/building-consultants/ 

Quick FAQs

1. Do we need one compliance calendar for the whole school or separate ones for each site? If you have multiple buildings or sites, keep one master calendar (for oversight) and a simple site-level view for day-to-day scheduling. The master view helps leaders spot clashes, budget for remedials and evidence consistent oversight.

2. What’s the easiest way to stay on top of remedial actions? Use a single action log with an owner, priority, due date and completion evidence. Review it monthly (even 10 minutes) so actions don’t drift between meetings.

3. How far ahead should we book contractors? For routine servicing, aim to book at least a term ahead. For surveys and specialist works, book earlier where possible—lead times can increase quickly during holiday periods.

4. What evidence do we need for audits or insurers? Keep the latest report/certificate, the previous one, and proof that any actions were completed. If evidence is easy to retrieve, compliance becomes much less stressful.

Next step

Use this guide to build your first draft of the school premises compliance calendar, then work through the fire safety and electrical safety guides to tighten your evidence and contractor brief.

Back to the School Premises Compliance hub

For the full compliance timeline, statutory checklist, and all guides in this series, visit:  https://incensu.co.uk/articles/school-premises-compliance-hub/ 

More guides in this hub

• Fire safety in schools: checks, servicing and record-keeping | Incensu

• Asbestos Management in Schools: What the Asbestos Management Plan Should Cover | Incensu

• Electrical Safety in Schools: EICR, PAT and What to Evidence | Incensu