For schools and colleges, the summer holidays are not always a quiet period. While classrooms empty and students head home, estates and facilities teams often enter one of their busiest times of the year. Contractors arrive on site, major projects begin, compliance inspections are completed, and essential maintenance is carried out before the new academic year starts.
From classroom refurbishments and roofing works to boiler replacements, electrical testing and deep cleaning, the summer shutdown provides a valuable window to complete work with minimal disruption.
However, managing this level of activity can quickly become difficult without the right systems and processes in place.
A Short Window for a Long List of Work
Most education estates teams will have a significant list of jobs they would like to complete during the summer. These may include planned preventative maintenance, statutory compliance inspections, asset replacements, classroom and office refurbishments, heating, ventilation and electrical works, fire safety improvements, asbestos-related works, grounds maintenance, IT and security upgrades and condition survey remedials.
The challenge is that the available window is relatively short. Work must often be completed, inspected and signed off before staff and students return. Delays can have a knock-on effect, particularly where several contractors or projects depend on one another. A late delivery, missed inspection or incomplete remedial action can put the reopening of a building or teaching space at risk.
Managing Contractors and Site Activity
Summer maintenance programmes often involve more external contractors than usual. Facilities teams need to know who is attending, what work they are completing and whether the appropriate documentation has been provided — insurance certificates, risk assessments, method statements, permits and competency records.
A CAFM or CMMS system can provide a central place to manage this information. Contractors can be linked to specific jobs, buildings and assets, while relevant documentation can be stored alongside the work. Progress can be monitored, evidence uploaded and completed works reviewed before jobs are formally closed.
This reduces reliance on emails, spreadsheets and paper records, while giving the estates team a clearer picture of what is happening across the estate.
Keeping Projects and Maintenance Connected
Summer works are not always individual maintenance jobs. They may form part of wider refurbishment, capital investment or improvement projects. Without a central system, project information can easily become separated from the maintenance and asset records.
A CAFM system can help connect project activity with the relevant properties, locations and assets. Budgets, costs, documents, actions and milestones can be recorded in one place.
Once a new asset has been installed, it can be added to the asset register and included within the appropriate planned maintenance programme. Warranty details, manuals, certificates and commissioning documentation can also be retained for future reference, ensuring important information is not lost when the project finishes.
Maintaining Compliance During the Shutdown
The summer period is often used to complete statutory inspections and compliance-related maintenance that would be more disruptive during term time — fire alarm testing, fixed wire inspections, water hygiene activities, lifting equipment examinations or ventilation servicing.
A CAFM or CMMS system allows these activities to be planned in advance and monitored against their required frequencies. Facilities teams can see which activities are due, overdue or complete, and quickly identify any missing documentation or outstanding remedial actions.
Where inspections identify further work, remedial jobs can be raised and tracked through to completion. This creates a clearer audit trail and provides stronger evidence that compliance risks are being actively managed.
Mobile Working for On-Site Teams
Trade staff and contractors are rarely sitting at a desk during the summer maintenance period. Mobile access allows engineers and contractors to receive jobs, view asset information, record their time, add notes and upload photographs directly from site. Completed work can be updated immediately rather than relying on paper worksheets or information being entered retrospectively.
This provides estates managers with more accurate, up-to-date information and makes it easier to monitor progress across multiple buildings or sites.
Preparing for the New Academic Year
The real measure of a successful summer maintenance programme is whether the estate is ready when staff and students return. A CAFM or CMMS system can provide dashboards and reports showing jobs completed and outstanding, project progress, contractor activity, compliance status, remedial works, maintenance expenditure, asset updates and outstanding risks or actions.
This gives facilities teams the visibility they need to prioritise the final weeks of the summer programme and escalate anything that could affect reopening. It also provides a valuable record of what was completed, how much was spent and what work should be considered for the following year.
Making the Most of the Summer Window
The summer shutdown represents a major opportunity for education estates teams. It provides time to complete essential maintenance, improve facilities and address issues that are difficult to manage during term time. However, the volume of work, number of contractors and tight deadlines can create significant pressure.
A well-configured CAFM or CMMS system helps bring maintenance, assets, contractors, compliance and projects together. It provides a single source of information, improves communication and gives facilities teams greater control over their summer works programme.
Because while students may be away, the work required to keep an education estate safe, compliant and ready for the new academic year is only just beginning.
How Tabs FM Can Help
Tabs FM provides a modular CAFM and CMMS solution designed to help organisations manage their buildings, assets, maintenance, compliance, contractors and projects. Whether you are coordinating a single school, a multi-academy trust, a college campus or a wider education estate, Tabs FM can help you plan, manage and report on your summer maintenance programme.