Services

Flexible compliance support designed specifically for schools, trusts and education settings

Pick a single piece of work, or access ongoing support through the SchoolSafe Compliance Partner Service.

The SchoolSafe Compliance Method™

A clear pathway from self-assessment to ongoing assurance.

Each stage links to a service in the SchoolSafe product suite, giving schools a structured approach to independent compliance.

Step 1
Assess
SchoolSafe Compliance Scorecard
A free 20-question self-assessment across key compliance areas.
Step 2
Audit
Whole-School Health & Safety Audit
An independent on-site audit with clear findings and a prioritised action plan.
Step 3
Follow up
Follow-up Assurance Review
A remote review 8–12 weeks later to check progress against the action plan.
Step 4
Support
SchoolSafe Compliance Partner
Year-round independent advice, monitoring and continual improvement.

Flexible Support for Schools

Every school is different.

Some require a one-off audit or policy review. Others need ongoing support managing compliance throughout the year.

SchoolSafe Systems offers flexible support ranging from individual projects through to a dedicated SchoolSafe Compliance Partner Service.

SchoolSafe Compliance Partner Service

The SchoolSafe Compliance Partner Service is designed for schools that need additional compliance capacity and expertise without employing a full-time health and safety manager. Acting as an extension of your leadership and business management team, SchoolSafe Systems provides practical support, independent oversight and ongoing assurance throughout the year.

Independent H&S Audit & Assurance

Sometimes the most useful support is an independent view of arrangements that are already in place. SchoolSafe can provide structured health & safety and compliance audits for individual schools and MATs, reviewing how policies, systems, records and controls are operating in practice and identifying clear priorities for improvement.

Independent auditing can be particularly valuable where a school or Trust already has experienced H&S, estates or compliance professionals in place. The purpose is not to replace internal expertise, but to provide objective challenge, additional audit capacity and an independent second pair of eyes.

This is a scoped professional service, distinct from the free 20-point Compliance Scorecard self-assessment and the complimentary review of one existing policy.

An audit scope agreed around your needs

Depending on the scope agreed with your school or Trust, a review may include:

Health & safety management arrangements
Policy and procedural review
Leadership, governance and responsibilities
Risk assessment arrangements
Fire safety management
Premises and statutory compliance
Asbestos and water hygiene management arrangements
Contractor management
Training and competence arrangements
Incident and accident management
Sampling of compliance records and supporting evidence
Site and premises observations
Discussions with relevant staff
How documented arrangements are implemented in practice

Clear, practical audit outputs

Within the agreed scope, the written audit report may provide:

An independent review of current arrangements
Identification of strengths and good practice
Clear, evidence-based audit findings
Prioritised recommendations and actions
An executive summary suitable for senior leadership
A practical basis for an improvement or action plan

The review provides independent findings and recommendations; it is not certification or a guarantee of legal compliance.

Already have an H&S or compliance professional?

Independent assurance can complement your existing arrangements. An external review can provide objective challenge, a fresh pair of eyes and additional audit capacity without replacing the knowledge and experience already within your school or Trust.

This can be useful when you want independent scrutiny of existing systems, assurance for senior leaders or governors, support with a specific compliance area, or additional capacity for work the internal team may not have time to complete.

Independent assurance across your Trust

For MATs, SchoolSafe can provide independent reviews across individual schools or an agreed sample of settings, helping Trust leaders understand whether arrangements are being applied consistently and where common or school-specific improvement priorities may exist.

The scope can be agreed with the Trust's existing H&S, estates, operations or compliance lead so the review complements existing assurance arrangements rather than duplicates them.

Discuss an Independent H&S Audit

SchoolSafe Compliance Partner Service

Work directly with an experienced education H&S professional throughout the year. Helping schools monitor compliance, prioritise actions and stay inspection ready.

Helping schools stay inspection ready throughout the year
Managing and tracking compliance actions to completion
Independent oversight of key compliance areas
Practical support for busy leadership teams
Governor and trustee assurance reporting
Remote and on-site support throughout the year
Support with emerging compliance requirements, including AI governance and AI policy development

Contractor Management & Safeguarding Compliance

Many schools rely on external contractors but struggle to maintain oversight of RAMS, insurance, DBS checks and safeguarding arrangements. SchoolSafe Systems can help establish practical contractor approval and monitoring systems to improve compliance and reduce risk.

RAMS reviews
Insurance verification
DBS and safeguarding checks
Contractor approval processes
Monitoring high-risk works
Contractor induction systems

Policy & Documentation

Helping schools develop, review and maintain policies, procedures and management systems that remain practical, compliant and inspection ready.

Statutory H&S policy
Asbestos, fire & legionella plans
Contractor management

Incident Support

Independent investigation, RIDDOR reporting and post-incident review. I help you respond well and learn fast.

Root-cause investigation
RIDDOR & reporting support
Lessons-learned reviews

Explore specific services

Dedicated pages covering the areas schools ask about most.

Looking for background reading? Browse our insights & guides →

Need an Independent Whole-School View?

The Whole-School Health & Safety Audit is the principal independent assessment service, with clear findings, a prioritised action plan and an included Follow-up Assurance Review.

Request an Audit Quote

Independent professional support

SchoolSafe Systems provides independent health & safety and compliance support to schools, academies and Multi-Academy Trusts, including:

Independent H&S Audit & Assurance
Fire safety and compliance support
Contractor management and compliance
Risk assessment and policy support
Compliance action planning
Project-specific compliance support
Ongoing health & safety and compliance support
Support for schools, academies and Multi-Academy Trusts

Support is tailored to the requirements, size and complexity of the school or Trust. Contact SchoolSafe Systems to discuss your requirements.

Request an Initial Discussion

Tell us what you need help with and Paul Shehean will come back to you personally with a practical view of the support that would suit your school or Trust.