Index of information on this page
Relationship between Schools and the County Council
For all community schools, including those
that opt out of using the services offered under this agreement,
there remains a requirement for Northumberland County Council to
act as the Landlord, although prima-facie responsibility and
funding arrangements for premises stewardship is devolved to
schools.
Where a school opts out of the ‘Statutory
Maintenance, Testing and Inspection Service’, ‘PAT Testing
Service’, ‘Tree Inspection Service’ or ‘Playground Equipment
Inspection Service’, reports and copies of test certificates are
required to be completed and sent to the Landlord confirming that
the statutory and other monitoring/inspection requirements have
been carried out.
The matter of opting out of statutory
maintenance obligations is presently under review, the outcome of
which will be finalised for inclusion at the start of this SLA.
Where a school opts out of the ‘Reactive
Repair and Planned Maintenance Service’ then reports are required
to be completed and sent to the Landlord confirming that any urgent
repairs or improvements identified by the statutory tests and
inspections have been carried out. The report must be sent
within four weeks of receiving the information or agreement made
with the Landlord if additional time required.
Where schools intend to self-manage projects
to improvement, alter, extend or modify the building fabric then
specific authorisation is required from the Landlord (known as the
N1 Process). Schools are required to provide details of
proposed works in a format agreed with the Landlord in advance of
undertaking the works. This applies regardless of the source
of funding. Works must not commence unless the Landlord has
authorised the N1 application. Full details of the process
can be found in Section E3 of the school’s Health and Safety
Policy.
Schools are
specifically reminded that they are required to comply with all
relevant statutory requirements, Codes of Practice and the policies
of Northumberland County Council, including its standing orders,
financial regulations and procedures and obligations as the
Planning Authority, as determined from time to time. Details
of these can be viewed on the Council’s intranet site.
Although management responsibility for school
premises rests with the Head Teacher and Governing Body, general
day-to-day operational management is often delegated, for example
to a site manager or caretaker. Schools are asked to give
contact details of the person with this day-to-day responsibility
should Property Services need to advise the school of any
operational matter. Such details should be noted within
Appendix 6 of this document and returned to Property Services by
30th June 2010.
