Understand the condition and liabilities of a new Academy before it joins a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).

Over the coming months and years MATs will undoubtedly come under increasing pressure to absorb underperforming schools and academies.

While it makes sense to help a failing school make the transition to academy status, it could lead a MAT into taking on unforeseen liabilities along with an expansion of its estate.

Just as a company carries out due diligence checks on the accounts of a potential acquisition, the board of a MAT should also be auditing the physical and organisational assets, and liabilities of a sponsored school at the start of the conversion process.

A full due diligence premises survey is a necessary pre-requisite to ensure there are no lurking health and safety issues down the line but on a positive note, identifying condition inadequacies could open additional funding opportunities from central government and help you prioritise your current resources.

When taking on the management of a new academy’s premises you take responsibility for a whole raft of surveys and assessments: condition surveys, fire risk assessments, energy efficiency surveys and space utilisation and suitability assessments to name but a few.

There are also a number of key areas a due diligence survey should cover:

• Condition Surveying

• Site Plan Inspection

• Health and Safety/Equipment Assessment

• Safeguarding and Security Assessment

• Planning Regulation Compliance

• Lease Obligations

Surveyors to Education

Surveyors to Education (S2e) offers a specialist surveying service to the MAT and academy sector. We have experience carrying out due diligence surveys for MATs or single academies.

For more information about our MAT and academy due diligence premises surveys and how else we support academies and MATs, call 01530 276127 or email enquire@s2e.org.uk.