• 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) 

• 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.