Gate Safe’s response to Department for Education’s 10-year strategy
The government’s recently published (February 2026) ten-year national strategy for school and college buildings and estates in England is welcomed by Gate Safe, underpinning the vital role that the senior leadership team, local authorities and other responsible bodies should play to ensure the safety of the school building and associated outdoor space whilst also clearly defining the need for ongoing management and inspection to maintain the desired standard of safety.
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ltimately, buildings and outdoor spaces should be safe and compliant with the relevant health and safety requirements, and the recommendations cite that “responsible bodies” which would include trusts and local authorities, should proactively manage, inspect and maintain the estate, with an emphasis on long-term strategic maintenance.
Naturally it is entirely fair to deduce that this governance should include gates on the estate, both automated and manual. The latter refers to long-term strategic maintenance and renewal that prioritises condition, risk and resilience – these are all consistent with Gate Safe’s long held view for continuous risk assessment, both via regular checks by a nominated member of staff, in addition to more in-depth reviews by a specialist professionally trained gate engineer, every six months as a minimum.
Where Gate Safe hopes to see a shift change is in relation to the clear and explicit emphasis on accountability across the senior leadership team and governors – which put simply means that a failure to have full oversight of the estate – including gates – is a leadership issue. In our experience, the majority of school leaders only approach Gate Safe if there has been an accident, or a near-miss, either at the school concerned or within the vicinity. This in sharp contrast with the desired adoption of regular maintenance by an informed gate engineer who in the case of automated gates, understands the risks and is equipped with the knowledge to mitigate these risks. Sadly, on occasions where Gate Safe has proactively brought an unsafe gate to the attention of the headteacher, this has generally fallen on deaf ears.
Under the New Education Estates Strategy, the senior leadership team and governors should clarify who is responsible for any gates on site, and schedule “a formal estates and compliance review at board level”. It would be unreasonable to expect a headteacher or governor to understand the nuances of what constitutes a safe and legally compliant gate but they do have a responsibility to seek out specialist, suitably trained professionals to install and maintain any gates on the estate. This also extends to requesting a Declaration of Conformity for any automated gate installations and to have an understanding of the appropriate inspection regime, both by the school itself and by a competent professional company / installer.
Gate Safe is proud to be working with the police security initiative Secured by Design and Zurich Insurance, the renowned insurance company of choice for the schools’ sector as part of its Safe School Gates campaign. Both organisations are in agreement that, all gates, especially those on a school site, should be subject to regular inspections by trained industry professionals to ensure ongoing safety and compliance. This is especially relevant given the fact that Gate Safe has been advised that an Ofsted inspection covers educational inspection not technical or building safety inspection. There is therefore an inherent assumption that the gates are assured through health and safety law, local authority / trust responsibility, insurers, building control and external audits.
Given Gate Safe’s conversations with building control, the charity is concerned that this “assurance” is not in place. Nor is the required health and safety law being followed. Ultimately the responsibility for premises compliance lies with the local authority, academy trust and governing body and this has been reiterated in the recent government regulations.
Finally, Gate Safe has identified the issue of new gates being installed which might be impressive and aesthetically pleasing but which do not meet the safety requirements – with budgets increasingly under scrutiny, it is hoped that under this new guidance that schools spend their money wisely and if they cannot afford to install a safe gate and the mandatory maintenance required of (especially an automatic) gate, then the expenditure should questioned.
This is especially appropriate given the government’s plans to reopen 250 more schools in early 2026, in addition to the 518 schools already selected for rebuilding and confirmation of a £12 billion budget for maintenance, £10 billion for the School Rebuilding Programme and £710 million for renewal and retrofit.
Schools should represent a safe sanctuary and the gates contained within the school site should serve to improve the safety of pupils, staff and visitors. They should never be installed as, or allowed to become, a potential hazard, capable of serious injury or worse…
Download the Safe School Gates guide here
https://bit.ly/491ml9W
Gate Safe is proud to be working with the police security initiative Secured by Design and Zurich Insurance...
Summer 2026 issue 4184 11
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