Customer First

Last month, MPs got DfE officials into a room and asked them, bluntly, how the government's new Education Estates Strategy is actually going. Buried in the six headline findings from that hearing was one line every Multi-Academy Trust estates lead should sit up for: a "significant minority" of schools are not meeting the government's own estate management standards; and the gap isn't in crumbling roofs or ageing boilers. It's in asset management planning. That's a quieter fin

September is World Alzheimer's Month. We look at how thoughtful building design - lighting, signage, colour contrast and calm, low-stimulation spaces - can make everyday environments easier to navigate for people living with dementia, and for everyone else too.

Annual estate management returns begin Autumn 2026. Here's a practical, no-panic starting point for multi academy trusts to get evidence-ready against the DfE's School Estate Management Standards.

Since November 2025, Ofsted's framework has treated school grounds as real evidence — behaviour routines, accessible outdoor zones, safeguarding checks, and how estate investment ties back to your development plan. For schools and multi-academy trusts, that means grounds, cleaning and caretaking now need a planned, KPI-driven schedule, not an afterthought. Here's what to check before term is fully underway

We often think relaxation is about what we do but what about where we do it? This National Relaxation Day, we're exploring how the spaces where we live, work and play can influence how we feel, and sharing three simple ways to stop, look around and ask: does this environment make me feel the way I want to feel?

A solar eclipse, 64 years and a reminder that we're only custodians for a while. Today, members of the Vital team had the opportunity to watch the partial solar eclipse from Carnewas on the north Cornwall coast. It was an incredible sight. But while watching the Moon slowly move across the Sun, something else struck us. The last total solar eclipse visible from mainland Britain was 27 years ago. The next will be in 2090 - 64 years from now. And that raises an interesting ques

Mother’s Day is a chance to pause and reflect. In business we often talk about growth, targets, strategy and success. But many of the values that shape us as leaders actually come from much earlier in life. For me, those lessons started with my mum. Through life’s ups and downs she has always been a tower of strength for our family. Encouragement when things were difficult, pride when things went well, and the steady reminder to keep going when things felt uncertain. Those l

Last place in 2024. Second place after round one in 2025.Impossible? That's what everyone thought.When my team scored 30 points in that opening round ...

What Grounds Care taught me about life...

Your building talks. It whispers to every person who walks through your doors.October 10th marks World Mental Health Day. And while most conversations...