Paul Shehean BSc (Hons), MSc (PgDip)
Founder, SchoolSafe Systems
Health, Safety and School Compliance Consultant
About
Independent Health & Safety and Compliance Support for Schools, Built on More Than 25 Years' Experience
SchoolSafe Systems was founded by Paul Shehean, an experienced health and safety and compliance professional with more than 25 years' experience helping organisations improve safety, governance and regulatory compliance.
Over the course of his career, Paul has worked across consultancy, construction, housing, higher education and, most recently, within the independent school sector. This breadth of experience provides a practical understanding of how compliance systems work in complex organisations and, more importantly, how they can be implemented in a way that genuinely supports operational teams.
Today, Paul specialises in supporting schools, academy trusts and early years settings, helping senior leaders move beyond compliance as a paperwork exercise and towards practical systems that provide confidence, assurance and continual improvement.
My story
I'm Paul, an education health and safety professional with experience across independent schools, prep schools, early years settings and wider educational organisations.
SchoolSafe Systems was created to provide schools with practical compliance support that reflects the realities of busy educational environments.
As a one-person consultancy, every piece of work is delivered directly by me. There are no account managers, call centres or rotating consultants — just direct access to experienced advice and support from someone who understands schools.
My aim is simple: help schools reduce risk, maintain compliance and focus on providing excellent education.
What I value
Practical first
I give advice you can act on by Monday morning — not 200-page binders.
Education Focused
More than 15 years supporting schools, trusts and educational settings.
Independent
No products to sell, no upsells. Just honest, proportionate advice.
Plain English
Policies and reports written for headteachers and governors, not lawyers.
Where I work
I’m based in the South West and work with schools, academies and trusts across the region — from Bristol and Bath to Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Devon.
I also support settings throughout the UK. If you’re outside the South West, remote work and scheduled on-site visits can be arranged to suit your school’s needs.
Why Choose SchoolSafe Systems
- 25+ years health & safety experience
- 15+ years supporting schools and education settings
- Experience across EYFS, primary, secondary and independent schools
- Practical advice tailored to education
- Direct access to an experienced professional
- Flexible remote and on-site support
Practical Experience Within Schools
Paul is currently the Health & Safety Adviser for a large independent school foundation comprising Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), preparatory, senior and boarding provision.
His role extends well beyond traditional health and safety advice and includes:
- Developing and reviewing health and safety management systems
- Supporting senior leadership teams and governors with compliance assurance
- Undertaking independent compliance reviews, audits and inspections
- Leading fire safety, risk assessment and contractor management programmes
- Developing policies, procedures and governance arrangements
- Supporting ISI, HSE and Environmental Health inspections
- Monitoring compliance actions through to completion
- Working closely with Estates, Facilities, Catering, Boarding and EYFS teams to ensure compliance is embedded into day-to-day operations
Rather than simply identifying problems, Paul's focus is on helping schools implement practical solutions that improve compliance while remaining proportionate and manageable.
Experience That Extends Beyond Schools
Before specialising within education, Paul held senior health and safety roles across a wide range of organisations, including:
- University of the West of England
- Merlin Housing Society
- British Safety Council
- Tribal Property Services
- EC Harris
- Ark Workplace Risk
- PFA Consulting
These roles involved advising on construction projects, facilities management, contractor management, fire safety, occupational health and safety, governance, audit frameworks and management systems. This wider commercial experience enables SchoolSafe Systems to bring proven best practice from other sectors into education where appropriate.
Professional Qualifications and Expertise
Paul holds
- MSc (Postgraduate Diploma) Occupational and Environmental Health & Safety Management
- BSc (Hons)
Professional expertise includes
- Fire Safety
- Health & Safety Management Systems
- School Compliance Reviews
- Contractor Management
- Risk Assessment
- Governance and Assurance
- ISO 45001 Audit Frameworks
- Incident Investigation
- Policy Development
- EYFS Compliance
Specialist certifications
- ISO 45001 Internal Auditor
- Fire Risk Assessment in Complex Buildings
- P402 Asbestos Surveying
- Radiation Protection Supervisor (Radon)
- Tech IFE (Institution of Fire Engineers)
Throughout his career Paul has worked closely with regulators including the HSE, ISI and Environmental Health Officers, supporting organisations through inspections and helping develop robust management systems.
The SchoolSafe Approach
SchoolSafe Systems was created because many schools already receive inspections, audits and compliance reports.
The challenge is rarely identifying issues.
The real challenge is finding the time, capacity and expertise to prioritise actions, monitor progress and demonstrate assurance to governors and trustees.
Rather than simply producing reports, SchoolSafe Systems provides practical independent support that helps schools:
- understand where they are today
- prioritise improvements
- monitor progress
- demonstrate compliance
- provide assurance to governors
- continually improve
This philosophy underpins the SchoolSafe Compliance Method™, a structured approach designed specifically for schools.
Case Studies
Case Study 1
Strengthening Health & Safety Governance Across an Independent School Foundation
Client
Large Independent School Foundation
(EYFS, Preparatory, Senior and Boarding)
The Challenge
Health and safety responsibilities were being managed across several sites and departments, but there was no single governance structure providing strategic oversight across the Foundation.
Senior leaders required greater visibility of compliance performance, while governors wanted clearer assurance that health and safety risks were being effectively managed and monitored.
Although many good practices already existed, reporting arrangements were inconsistent and opportunities to share learning across departments were limited.
The SchoolSafe Approach
A new Foundation-wide Health & Safety Committee was established, bringing together representatives from leadership, estates, boarding, catering and operational departments.
Alongside the new governance structure:
- committee terms of reference were developed
- reporting arrangements were standardised
- action tracking processes were introduced
- compliance reporting was improved
- regular performance monitoring was implemented
- clear escalation routes to senior leadership and governors were established
The emphasis was on creating a practical governance structure that supported continual improvement rather than simply discussing compliance.
The Outcome
- The new committee significantly improved communication across the Foundation and created much greater visibility of health and safety performance.
- Senior leaders gained a clearer understanding of emerging risks and outstanding actions.
- Governors received more consistent assurance regarding compliance.
- Departments became more engaged in health and safety discussions, resulting in improved ownership and accountability across the organisation.
- The committee has become an integral part of the Foundation's wider governance arrangements, supporting a more proactive approach to managing health and safety.
Case Study 2
Transforming Incident Reporting to Improve Risk Management
The Challenge
Incident reporting was largely reactive, making it difficult to identify recurring trends or use data to inform preventative action.
Although incidents were recorded, there was limited ability to analyse patterns, monitor corrective actions or provide meaningful management information.
The SchoolSafe Approach
A new electronic incident reporting system was introduced across the Foundation.
The implementation included:
- reviewing reporting procedures
- simplifying incident reporting
- improving data quality
- standardising incident categorisation
- introducing trend analysis
- improving management reporting
- monitoring actions through to completion
Training and guidance were provided to encourage consistent reporting across departments.
The Outcome
- The Foundation achieved a significant improvement in both the quality and consistency of incident reporting.
- Management teams gained much greater visibility of incident trends, enabling preventative measures to be targeted more effectively.
- The improved reporting also supported better decision-making, more meaningful management information and stronger evidence of continual improvement during inspections.
See How We Could Support Your School
Every school is different.
Arrange a short discovery discussion to explore your current compliance arrangements and identify where SchoolSafe Systems could provide practical support.