Leading & Managing an Education Estate: Volume 2: Compliance, Risk & Assurance

Leading & Managing an Education Estate: Field Framework(TM) Editions, Volume 2

This second volume in the Field Framework(TM) Series focuses on Compliance, Risk and Assurance, the foundation of safe, accountable, and legally sound estate management.
It explores how schools and trusts can move beyond reactive compliance and build systems that provide confidence, evidence, and protection at every level of the organisation.

Drawn directly from the full publication Leading & Managing an Education Estate, this volume presents the complete chapters on compliance, risk management, governance, assurance, and workforce capability.
It is not abridged or simplified, but structured to offer a focused and practical guide for those leading or supporting estates work in education.

What this volume covers

• Understanding legal responsibilities, statutory obligations, and duty-holder roles across education settings.

• Building systems of assurance that demonstrate control, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Developing emergency and business continuity plans that protect safety and learning.

• Strengthening governance and reporting so that compliance is visible, measurable, and well understood.

• Equipping the estates workforce with the skills, structure, and culture needed to maintain compliance and deliver consistent quality.

These chapters combine policy awareness with practical application, showing how to turn compliance from a reactive burden into an active framework of assurance.

Who it's for

This book is written for anyone responsible for safety, compliance, or estates management in education, including:

• Chief Operating Officers (COOs), Chief Finance Officers (CFOs), and senior trust leaders.

• Estate and facilities managers, site staff, and compliance leads.

• School business professionals, governors, and trustees.

• Consultants, contractors, and advisors supporting education clients.

Whether you manage one school or an entire multi-academy trust, this volume helps you strengthen control, reduce risk, and build confidence in your estate operations.

How it fits within the series

Leading & Managing an Education Estate: Field Framework(TM) Editions presents the complete work across four focused volumes:

1. Strategy, Leadership and Vision

2. Compliance, Risk and Assurance

3. Operations and Capital Delivery

4. Sustainability and Innovation

Each volume can be read independently or as part of the full series. Together, they create a professional reference that supports education leaders, estates teams, and organisations seeking to move from compliance to strategy, and from management to meaningful leadership.

Why this book matters

Compliance is not just a checklist, it's the foundation of trust and safety in every education setting.
When risk management, assurance, and workforce capability work together, they form the structure that keeps people safe and systems reliable.
This volume shows how to achieve that balance: clear processes, competent people, and confident governance.

Leading & Managing an Education Estate, Volume 2: Compliance, Risk and Assurance provides the tools, insight, and clarity needed to make compliance sustainable, not just an annual task, but a lasting culture of assurance.