• How can schools, colleges and universities develop long-term estate strategies that respond to changing learner numbers, demographic shifts, financial pressures and evolving educational needs? 
• How should estates leaders prioritise investment between building condition, planned maintenance, refurbishment, new development and estate consolidation, while demonstrating value for money and addressing maintenance backlogs? 
• What practical approaches can education providers take to reduce energy consumption, decarbonise existing buildings and improve resilience to climate change, ageing infrastructure and rising operational costs? 
• How can estates planning deliver inclusive, accessible and adaptable learning environments while making better use of existing space and responding to changing patterns of learning and working? 
• How can digital technologies, condition data, procurement strategies and partnerships with industry support better investment decisions, improve estate performance and strengthen long-term asset management? 

• Questions and answers
  
  
  
  

Charlotte Neal, Director of Professional Practice and Research, RICS 

Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) 

Laura Armitage, Director of Estate Masterplanning, University of Nottingham

Professor Samer Bagaeen, Head of School of Town Planning, University of the Built Environment

• Questions and answers

• Questions and answers

• How can estates, facilities management, security and safeguarding teams work together to identify vulnerabilities and develop a coordinated approach to protecting learners, staff and visitors? 
• How can schools, colleges and universities balance open, accessible learning environments and community use with effective access control, visitor management and protective security? 
• What does Martyn’s Law mean for education settings, and how should providers assess its applicability, understand their responsibilities and prepare proportionately for the requirements that apply to them? 
• How can security arrangements, emergency procedures and evacuation plans accommodate SEND, neurodivergent learners and people with disabilities, while maintaining effective protection? 
• How can education providers embed security into everyday estate management, including contractor access, shared facilities, out-of-hours activities and community lettings? 
• With limited budgets and competing estate priorities, how can organisations identify the most significant risks, prioritise cost-effective improvements and maintain consistent security standards across multiple sites? 
• Questions and answers 

• Questions and answers

• Questions and answers

• Questions and answers

• How can education providers identify environmental and operational factors that may contribute to violence, including site layout, access arrangements, poorly supervised areas and gaps in incident reporting? 
• What role can estates, security, safeguarding and pastoral teams play in recognising warning signs, sharing information and intervening before situations escalate? 
• How can effective visitor management, safer site design, staff training and clear incident response procedures reduce risks to learners, staff and visitors? 
• How can de-escalation, trusted relationships and coordinated support help staff respond to challenging situations while protecting inclusion, wellbeing and a sense of belonging? 
• How can schools, colleges and other education providers work with police, local authorities, safeguarding services and violence reduction partnerships to address risks affecting their communities? 
• What practical lessons can education leaders take from previous reviews of organisational failure, including the importance of clear accountability, information sharing and avoiding single points of failure in safety-critical processes? 
• Questions and answers 

• Questions and answers

• What can education providers learn from procuring and delivering estate projects across schools, colleges and independent education settings? 
• How can clients define project requirements, evaluate bids and balance capital cost, whole-life value, building quality and long-term maintenance needs? 
• What are the most common challenges in delivering construction and refurbishment projects in live education environments, particularly around safeguarding, site access and continuity of learning? 
• How can estates teams manage contractors, stakeholder expectations, programme risks and unexpected costs while minimising disruption to learners and staff? 
• What practical lessons can be applied to future projects to improve procurement decisions, contractor relationships and delivery outcomes? 

*programme subject to change without notice.