Our Services

In the complex world of educational estate management, the role of a trusted advisor can be invaluable. Much like a consigliere in an organisation, an external expert can provide strategic guidance, objective insights, and unwavering support to navigate challenges and achieve institutional goals. Saint Projects acts as your dedicated consigliere, offering a deep understanding of the educational landscape and a wealth of experience in estates and project management.

We provide a confidential sounding board for your ideas, offering constructive feedback and alternative perspectives. Our expertise allows us to analyse situations objectively, identify potential risks and opportunities, and provide unbiased counsel on critical decisions. Whether you're facing budget constraints, navigating regulatory changes, or planning for future expansion, Saint Projects offers the strategic guidance and support needed to make informed choices that align with your educational vision. We help you anticipate challenges, optimise resources, and ensure your estate effectively supports the needs of your students, faculty, and staff.

Embarking on a capital project within an educational estate is a complex undertaking, requiring careful planning, meticulous execution, and adherence to various regulations. Saint Projects provides comprehensive support throughout the entire project lifecycle, ensuring a smooth and successful development process. Our expertise begins with the initial academic brief, where we work closely with stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and desired outcomes. We then guide you through the intricacies of project governance, establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.

Our support can extend beyond the initial stages. We can assist with feasibility studies, budget development, and procurement of necessary resources. We can assist your Estates Team to successfully manage the design and planning phase, ensuring alignment with educational goals and regulatory requirements. Our team provides expert guidance on approval paperwork, navigating the often complex landscape of planning permissions and building regulations. Throughout the construction phase, we can diligently monitor progress, manage risks, and ensure adherence to timelines and budgets. Partnering with Saint Projects, at any point in the project lifecycle, provides educational institutions with the confidence and support needed to successfully deliver capital projects that enhance learning environments and support long-term institutional goals.

Maintaining a safe and compliant environment is paramount for any educational institution. It's not just a legal obligation—it's a moral one. Saint Projects understands the complexities of managing diverse health, safety, and statutory requirements, and our Statutory Compliance Audit service provides the clarity, and peace of mind you need. We help you ensure the well-being of your staff, students, and visitors by proactively identifying the level of compliance across your estate.

We work closely with your Estates Team to develop an agreed-upon checklist of all compliance issues relevant to your specific estate. We then conduct a systematic audit across all campuses and buildings, assessing each element and providing a clear, visual overview of your compliance status using RAG ratings (Red, Amber, Green). This allows for immediate understanding and facilitates strategic planning, enabling you to integrate findings into your broader Estates Strategy and enhance the overall quality of your educational environment. By partnering with Saint Projects, you gain access to best-practice methodologies, ensuring thoroughness, foresight, and a clear understanding of your compliance level ready to report to Senior Leadership and Governors/Trustees.

Efficient space utilisation is crucial for educational institutions to create effective learning environments and manage resources effectively. Saint Projects offers a Space Modelling service designed to provide a detailed understanding of your current space usage and identify opportunities for optimisation. We begin by gathering existing building drawings and information on departmental space usage and student numbers. Our team then meticulously measures drawings, classifies room types, and assesses capacity to create accurate space data spreadsheets.

We go beyond simply documenting existing space. Using DfE guidance, we create a hypothetical model of required space based on your student population and curriculum. This model is then verified through site surveys to ensure accuracy and identify any discrepancies. By comparing your current space allocation with the DfE model, we can highlight areas of underutilisation or overcrowding. This data-driven approach allows for informed decision-making regarding future space planning, renovations, or new construction projects. Our final report could include detailed spreadsheets, indicative adjacency diagrams, and the space model, providing a comprehensive overview of your estate and empowering you to make strategic decisions that enhance the learning environment and optimize resource allocation.

Expanding a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) through the acquisition of new schools presents exciting opportunities but also significant challenges. Effective due diligence and onboarding are critical to ensure a smooth transition and minimise disruption to the educational environment. Saint Projects offers specialised expertise, due to our founding Director having led the estates team at a MAT as they grew from 50 to 100 schools. Guiding MATs through this complex process and providing comprehensive support to Estates Managers enables improved decision making. We conduct thorough estates due diligence reviews of prospective schools, assessing the reports on condition of buildings and grounds, reviewing statutory compliance records, and analysing maintenance requirements. This detailed assessment helps MATs identify potential risks and liabilities, enabling informed decision-making and facilitating negotiations.

Our support extends beyond due diligence. We can work closely with the MAT and the incoming school's Estates Team to develop a tailored onboarding plan, ensuring a seamless integration into the Trust's existing estate management framework. We assist with harmonising policies and procedures, transferring asset data, and establishing clear lines of communication. Our team provides guidance on optimising maintenance schedules, implementing best practices, and ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations. By partnering with Saint Projects, MAT estates teams can more confidently onboard new schools, minimising disruption and creating a cohesive estate management approach across the Trust.

Capital projects in educational settings require significant investment and careful planning to ensure they deliver maximum value and meet the institution's long-term needs. Saint Projects develop detailed and comprehensive project briefs that lay the foundation for successful project delivery. We work closely with your estates team and key stakeholders to translate educational aspirations into clear, concise, and actionable project requirements. This collaborative approach ensures that the brief accurately reflects your vision, incorporates stakeholder input, and establishes a robust framework for design and construction.

Our expertise lies in meticulously defining project scope, objectives, and desired outcomes. We analyse existing space utilisation, assess future needs, and consider factors such as curriculum development, pedagogical approaches, and technological advancements to ensure the project aligns with your educational goals. By tightly defining the brief, we help you avoid scope creep, control costs, and maximise the value of your investment. We provide guidance on developing performance specifications, incorporating sustainable design principles, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. This meticulous approach to briefing fosters a shared understanding among all stakeholders and sets the stage for a successful project that delivers lasting value to your institution.

Maintaining a safe, functional, and inspiring learning environment is paramount for any educational institution. Saint Projects offers comprehensive support to Estates Teams in developing and implementing robust maintenance plans that optimise resources and ensure the long-term sustainability of your buildings and grounds. We understand the challenges of balancing reactive repairs with proactive maintenance, and our expertise helps you streamline processes and improve efficiency. On the reactive side, we can assist with implementing systems for swift response to urgent repairs, optimising contractor relationships, and analysing data to identify recurring issues and address root causes.

Beyond reactive repairs, we understand the need to develop comprehensive Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) strategies that proactively address the needs of your estate. We work closely with your team to assess the condition of your buildings, analyse existing maintenance records, and identify areas for improvement. Our expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including building fabric, mechanical and electrical systems, and grounds maintenance. We help you establish prioritised maintenance schedules, optimise lifecycle costing, and implement strategies that minimise downtime and ensure the long-term functionality and value of your assets. By partnering with Saint Projects, you can create a proactive maintenance culture that fosters a safe, sustainable, and inspiring learning environment for your students and staff.

A well-defined Estates Strategy is crucial for aligning your physical assets with your institution's long-term educational vision and strategic goals. Saint Projects provides expert guidance and support to Estates Teams in developing comprehensive and forward-thinking strategies that optimise resource allocation, enhance the learning environment, and ensure the long-term sustainability of your estate. We begin by working closely with you to understand your institution's unique context, including its educational philosophy, strategic priorities, and financial constraints. We analyse existing estate data, assess space utilisation, and evaluate the condition of your buildings and grounds to gain a comprehensive understanding of your current position.

Our expertise lies in translating your institutional vision into a tangible and actionable Estates Strategy. We facilitate stakeholder engagement, ensuring that the strategy reflects the needs and aspirations of your students, faculty, staff, and governing body. We provide guidance on developing a strategic asset management plan that optimizes lifecycle costing, prioritises maintenance activities, and supports long-term sustainability. We also help you identify opportunities for estate development, whether it's through refurbishment, new construction, or the disposal of underutilised assets. By partnering with Saint Projects, you can create a robust Estates Strategy that provides a clear roadmap for the future, ensuring your estate remains a valuable asset in supporting your institution's educational mission.