For schools, the electrical work that matters most is usually the work that has to wait. Testing, board upgrades, lighting replacements and remedial work all need access to classrooms and circuits that are in use every day of term. The holidays are the obvious answer, but they come round fast and contractors book up. Here’s how to plan it.
Start planning in spring for the summer
The summer holiday is the only long break in the year, and every school wants its work done then. If you’re planning a lighting upgrade, a rewire or a board replacement for the summer, get surveys and quotes done in the spring term. That gives time for budgets to be approved, materials to be ordered and the programme to be agreed before the last day of term.
Use shorter holidays for testing
A fixed wire test (EICR) of a school can often be fitted into half terms and the Christmas and Easter breaks, especially if the site is split into blocks and tested over several visits. That keeps the summer free for the bigger jobs that need longer shutdowns. Most schools follow a five-year cycle for fixed wire testing, and some test part of the site each year so the cost is spread out.
Leave time for remedial work
If the EICR is done early in the summer holiday, any C1 or C2 defects it finds can be put right before pupils come back. If it’s done on the last week of August, you may end up with known defects and no time to fix them. Read more about what EICR codes mean.
Some work can happen in term time
Not everything has to wait. With the right planning, testing and smaller jobs can be done after school, early in the morning or in areas that are closed off, with circuits isolated one at a time so lessons carry on. Engineers working on site during term should be enhanced DBS checked, and a good contractor will work within your safeguarding and signing-in procedures.
Funding the bigger jobs
Larger electrical upgrades can be expensive. Eligible academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools may be able to bid to the Department for Education’s Condition Improvement Fund for work that keeps buildings safe, and an up-to-date EICR showing the condition of the installation is useful evidence. Check the current round’s rules and deadlines, as they change each year.
A simple school year plan
- Autumn term: review last year’s reports and decide what needs doing.
- Spring term: surveys, quotes and approvals for summer work.
- Half terms and Easter: testing in phases, small remedial jobs.
- Summer: upgrades, replacements and any remaining remedial work.
We work with schools across the region
We carry out testing, remedial work and upgrades for primary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities, with DBS-checked engineers who are used to working around the school day. See our work with schools, colleges and universities, tell us about your project or call 01525 582582.
