Why Headteachers Shouldn't Be Caretakers: A Call for Change in School Management

I watched a headteacher reach his breaking point.

Six months into managing his school's facilities crisis, he was exhausted. His caretaker had gone on long-term sick leave, creating an HR nightmare that dragged on for months. While battling capability procedures and recruitment challenges, this education leader found himself unlocking doors at 6 AM, fixing toilets with a plunger, and enlisting his retired father to help with maintenance tasks.

This headteacher had spent years studying educational leadership. Instead, he was learning about boiler maintenance.

His story reflects a broader crisis gripping England's schools. According to research, 70% of schools now have less funding in real terms than they did in 2010. The consequences extend far beyond budget spreadsheets.

The Human Cost of Cuts

Amanda Richards, headteacher of Sytchampton Primary in Worcestershire, captured the reality perfectly: "I'm 53 this year; I'm not built for lifting and shifting. But there isn't anyone else to do it. It's me who puts the marigolds on and goes down to the toilets with the plunger."

Her experience isn't isolated. One in six schools can no longer afford to employ a caretaker.

When highly qualified education professionals become part-time janitors, something fundamental breaks. These leaders trained to nurture learning environments and develop young minds. Instead, they're managing heating systems and unclogging drains.

The expertise gap creates dangerous blind spots.

The Tick Box Trap

I see schools treating compliance as a paperwork exercise. They tick boxes without understanding what those readings actually mean.

Consider this scenario: A school has two boilers, but one sits broken because parts are obsolete and capital funding requests get rejected. The remaining boiler runs constantly, creating a single point of failure.

What happens when that last boiler fails during winter?

Schools close. Questions get asked. Claims potentially follow.

Meanwhile, nobody's calculating whether replacing that obsolete boiler would actually save money through improved energy efficiency. The focus stays locked on this year's budget, ignoring long-term costs that compound quietly.

Putting Plasters Over Problems

I walk through schools and see carpets held down with gaffer tape. Rippling floor coverings create trip hazards. Fire doors propped open because nobody's actively managing safety protocols.

Schools are putting plasters over issues rather than addressing root causes.

Take that toilet seat that keeps breaking. Schools repair it repeatedly without tracking costs. How many times has that same seat been fixed this year? What's the total labour and material cost? Would investing in a more robust replacement actually save money?

Without someone tracking whole-life asset costs, schools can't make informed decisions. They're firefighting instead of strategically managing their facilities.

The Professional Difference

The traditional model assumes schools need full-time caretakers regardless of actual workload. But professional facilities management can offer more strategic approaches.

When schools work with experienced facilities partners, they gain access to specialized knowledge about building systems, compliance requirements, and maintenance planning. This expertise helps identify problems before they become emergencies.

Professional teams understand the difference between urgent repairs and routine maintenance. They can spot when repeated repairs signal the need for equipment replacement rather than continued patching.

Schools that lack this expertise often miss these crucial distinctions.

Beyond Budget Constraints

The funding crisis forces impossible choices. Schools cut teaching staff and increase class sizes. They replace qualified teachers with teaching assistants because they're cheaper.

When schools sacrifice their core educational function to balance budgets, the entire system suffers.

But there's a step change possible. Schools need to move beyond traditional thinking and consider partnerships that provide expertise without necessarily increasing costs.

Academy trusts already understand this concept, managing resources across multiple sites. They recognize economies of scale but often still lack specialist knowledge in-house.

The solution combines professional oversight with practical flexibility.

A Path Forward

Schools need to see concrete evidence that professional facilities management delivers value, better service, improved compliance, enhanced safety, all while managing costs effectively.

The key is demonstrating this value through clear metrics and transparent reporting. When schools understand exactly what they're getting for their investment, the decision becomes clearer.

Professional facilities management also means having qualified staff who understand building systems. When someone needs to assess boiler performance or identify potential safety issues, they have the training to make informed decisions.

This approach bridges the expertise gap that leaves schools vulnerable to costly mistakes.

Conclusion: A Vision for the Future

Schools deserve better than watching education leaders burn out over facilities management. Headteachers should focus on what they trained for: creating environments where children thrive.

The funding crisis won't resolve overnight. But smarter approaches to facilities management can help schools weather these challenges while maintaining the safety and quality students deserve.

Sometimes the best solution isn't doing more with less. It's doing things differently.

By embracing professional facilities management, schools can ensure that their leaders are free to focus on education rather than maintenance. This shift can lead to a brighter future for both educators and students alike.

In conclusion, the need for change is urgent. Schools must adapt to the realities of funding constraints while ensuring that their primary mission—educating children—remains intact.

---wix---