What is a condition survey? Advice for schools and academies

Building condition surveys are a valuable tool for schools and academies that enables them to better understand their estates and maximise the value they get from their maintenance budget. In this guide, we discuss everything you need to know about condition surveys, from what they are and why you need one to the benefits they bring and the details they provide. 

What is a condition survey? 

A condition survey is a visual inspection of your school buildings and systems that gives you an objective understanding of their physical and mechanical condition. It identifies the changes you can make in priority order and provides full costings.  

Once a chartered building surveyor has completed the inspection, they will provide you with a condition survey report that grades the condition of your assets using an easy-to-understand system. That enables a fair comparison across your sites and the effective prioritisation of improvements so you can target your resources effectively and prevent costly reactive repairs and replacements.  

Why are condition surveys vital for schools and academies?

Condition surveys help to keep your pupils, staff and visitors safe. They reduce your costs by identifying the maintenance requirements of your assets and provide the basis for an effective and long-term estate maintenance plan.  

Building condition surveys also provide documentary evidence to support funding applications for Urgent Capital Support (UCS) and the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). These grants from the Education and Skills Funding Agency give schools and academies access to funding to address urgent building condition issues and pay for maintenance and improvement projects.

Building condition surveys enable schools to:

• Improve the learning environment
• Identify urgent health and safety issues
• Determine what maintenance and improvement work to do and when
• Identify and rectify compliance breaches
• Prioritise work within your budget
• Plan preventative maintenance
• Apply for funding

What do education building condition surveys include?

Condition surveys provide crucial information about the physical, mechanical and electrical operation of your school buildings in line with the ‘Condition Assessment’ part of the Department for Education’s Good Estate Management for Schools (GEMS) guidance.

Building surveyors inspect the building fabric itself, such as roofs, walls and windows; mechanical and electrical systems including heating, ventilation and water; and other hazards such as drainage, damp and fire safety.  

Once the surveying team have finished on site, they will provide you with a condition survey report that provides the following:   

• Clear descriptions of the condition of your buildings
• Photographs and descriptions of any elements that require your attention
• Identification and prioritisation of the risks using a common condition grading system
• Recommendations for remedial works and replacements
• Risk assessments of hazardous areas
• Estimated costs for the works
• Information about the benefits of the works, such as energy savings and reduced repair costs   

Building condition surveys are not a tick-box exercise. The report is a practical and functional document that is easy to understand and allows you to determine what needs to be done, in what order and how best to spend your budget. 

How often do schools need a building condition survey?

Building condition surveys take anywhere from one to four weeks to complete and usually cover a period of three to five years. Once you have the report, you can create a comprehensive maintenance programme for the next few years that fits within your budget and addresses the short-term and long-term requirements of your estate. 

Who conducts building condition surveys?

School building condition surveys should be carried out by Chartered surveyors with specific experience working in educational buildings. Having expertise in schools, academies and MATs gives surveyors an understanding of how education estates function and enables them to work in a way that minimises disruption. 

For example, at Eddisons Education, our RICS-registered surveyors use the latest mobile assessment technology to perform non-intrusive inspections and collect accurate information in the shortest possible timeframe.  

How much do condition surveys for schools cost?

The exact cost will depend on the size and condition of your school. However, as a rough guide, you can expect to pay a minimum of £2,000 for a condition survey on a relatively small primary school. Schools must pay and commission the surveys themselves – there is no funding to cover this cost. However, once you have the survey, you can use it as documentary evidence to apply for central government funding. 

How can we help? 

Whether you operate a standalone school, academy or large multi-academy trust (MAT), our education specialists are perfectly placed to help. Find out more about our condition surveys for schools and get in touch to discuss your requirements with our RICS-registered surveyors.