ISBL Symposium (Webinar) - Estates Management - 11 November 2026

What does the DfE’s ten-year Education Estates Strategy mean for your school or trust?

The Department for Education’s ten-year Education Estates Strategy sets a new direction for how the education estate will be managed, funded and renewed.

With a growing emphasis on reliable condition data, proactive maintenance, long-term investment and stronger estate management, schools, trusts and responsible bodies need to understand what is changing—and what they should be doing now to prepare.

The ISBL Estates Management Symposium will help school business professionals translate the DfE’s national direction into practical action.

Explore how your organisation can strengthen its estates information, reduce risk, demonstrate investment need and prepare for future funding and reporting expectations.

Whether you are responsible for one school or multiple sites, you will leave with greater clarity, practical priorities and increased confidence in the decisions you need to make.

Why this matters now

The DfE’s strategy establishes a vision for an education estate that is:

• Safe – with effective management of condition, compliance and building-related risks.
• Suitable – supporting curriculum delivery, SEND provision, inclusion and changing educational needs.
• Sustainable – improving energy performance, resilience and progress towards decarbonisation.
• Sufficiently sized – providing the right space, in the right location, for the right purpose.

It also signals a move towards more proactive maintenance, stronger use of estate and condition data, and long-term renewal planning.

For school business professionals, this creates both new expectations and an opportunity to take a more strategic approach to estates management.

What will you gain?

The symposium will help you:

• Understand the key priorities within the DfE’s Education Estates Strategy.
• Consider the implications for schools, trusts and responsible bodies.
• Prepare for changes to the estates funding landscape, including the planned replacement of the Condition Improvement Fund from autumn 2028.
• Understand the DfE’s expectations for stronger estate management.
• Use condition and asset data to evidence need and inform investment decisions.
• Strengthen compliance, risk management and governance assurance.
• Align estates planning with educational and organisational priorities.
• Identify practical opportunities to improve sustainability and energy performance.
• Make more effective use of existing space as pupil numbers and needs change.

Programme highlights

The National Education Estates Strategy: what leaders need to know

Gain a clearer understanding of the government’s ten-year strategy and the direction of travel for education estates.

Explore the move towards proactive maintenance, long-term renewal and greater use of condition data—and consider the immediate implications for schools, trusts and responsible bodies.

The session will also examine the planned replacement of the Condition Improvement Fund from autumn 2028 and how organisations can strengthen their readiness now.

Safe: managing risk, compliance and estate assurance

Safe buildings are the foundation of effective education.

Explore the DfE’s expectations for estate management and consider how your organisation can strengthen its approach to:

• School Estate Management Standards
• Condition and asset data
• Structural risks and older buildings
• Statutory compliance
• Risk registers
• Governance oversight and assurance

Clarify responsibilities and identify the information senior leaders, governors and trustees need to provide effective challenge and oversight.

Suitable: creating estates that support educational delivery

Suitability goes beyond the physical condition of a building. It considers whether the estate enables your organisation to deliver its educational strategy.

Explore how your estate can better support:

• Curriculum delivery
• SEND and inclusion
• Specialist provision and inclusion bases
• Digital infrastructure
• Organisational growth
• Changing teaching and learning requirements
• Estate adaptation and transformation

Connect your estates priorities with educational outcomes and emerging DfE expectations around inclusion.

Sustainable: from net-zero ambitions to practical delivery

The DfE increasingly expects sustainability, climate resilience and decarbonisation to be integrated into estates planning.

Explore practical and affordable approaches covering:

• Climate Action Plans
• Energy efficiency
• Decarbonisation
• Heat decarbonisation
• Renewal and retrofit
• Connecting condition and sustainability planning

Identify realistic opportunities to improve the performance and resilience of your estate while preparing for future expectations.

Sufficiently sized: making the best use of estate capacity

As pupil demographics and educational needs evolve, schools and trusts need to ensure they have the right space, in the right location, for the right purpose.

Explore the DfE’s direction of travel on sufficiency and pupil-place planning, including:

• Surplus accommodation
• Changing pupil numbers
• School-based nurseries
• Community use
• Space optimisation

Consider how underused space could support wider educational, community or organisational priorities.

Live panel discussion: what should responsible bodies be doing now?

Bring your questions to an expert panel and explore how schools and trusts can respond to the DfE’s Education Estates Strategy.

The discussion will focus on:

• Estate leadership and accountability
• School Estate Management Standards
• Data readiness
• Funding readiness
• Strategic estates planning
• Renewal and rebuilding programmes
• Governance oversight and reporting

What will you take back to your organisation?

This symposium is designed to help you move from national strategy to practical action.

You will leave with:

• A clearer understanding of the DfE’s direction for education estates.
• Practical actions to strengthen estate management.
• Greater confidence in using data to support investment decisions.
• Stronger questions to take back to senior leaders, governors and trustees.
• Clearer priorities for funding and reporting readiness.
• A roadmap towards a safer, more suitable, sustainable and sufficiently sized estate.

Who should attend?

This event is designed for professionals with responsibility for strategic or operational estates management, including:

• School business leaders and professionals
• Chief operating officers and chief finance officers
• Estates, facilities and operations leaders
• Trust and executive leaders
• Responsible body representatives
• Governors and trustees with estates oversight
• Leaders responsible for compliance, sustainability or capital planning

Understand the DfE’s direction and prepare your organisation

Join school business professionals from across the sector to examine the DfE’s Education Estates Strategy, share insight and identify the practical steps your organisation should take next.

Event details

Format: Online webinar

Time: 10:00am – 12:20pm

Ticket prices

Members: £80 + VAT

Non-members: £97 + VAT

The agenda has been designed to give delegates practical, up-to-date guidance that supports both operational delivery and strategic decision-making.

**Please note that all prices shown are inclusive of VAT.**

**If you are unable to pay by card please email conferences@isbl.org.uk to request an invoice for payment**

**\*\*By proceeding with your booking for this event, please note that our terms and conditions will apply. You can find a copy of these **here.**

Kindly take note that if you plan to book multiple tickets, it is necessary to include the names of all attendees. In case you don't have the necessary details while booking, you can always add them later.