Schools never truly close, even during holidays, thanks to the tireless efforts of a dedicated group of premises, cleaning, finance, HR, IT and administrative staff who work behind the scenes. While children, teachers, and term-time-only staff enjoy their time off, this team is hard at work, ensuring that everything runs smoothly when our schools are in full operation. Their work, often invisible but crucial, keeps our schools operating efficiently and ready for the return of the entire school community.

As our teaching staff and pupils take a well-earned break, I’d like to introduce you to some of the holiday heroes of Greensand Multi Academy Trust and share with you some of what they have accomplished over the last month.

Meet Our Estates Team:

Graham Hills is our fantastic Estate and Contracts Manager and leads the wider Premises Team. After leaving school, Graham started an apprenticeship for 3 years in brickwork and

construction at Mitchells in Horley. He progressed to Site Manger and then to Contracts Manager during his 38 years with the company.

Mitchells carried out projects for the NHS including East Surrey Hospital, St George’s Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital and for NHS Properties around the South Coast and many local schools, including all the schools that are now in the Greensand Multi Academy Trust.

Graham joined the Trust in September 2023 and oversees all the works that are carried out across the Trust.

Joining Graham is a team of seasoned professionals looking after each of our schools. These dedicated professionals are the backbone of our Trust, ensuring that the environment is safe, clean, and conducive to learning. Throughout the entire year, this team work tirelessly to keep the environment functioning effectively, but during the summer break their work takes on a new dimension as they tackle a range or projects that require an empty school to accomplish.

Led by our brilliant Estates Manager, this team have either completed themselves, or overseen contractors to complete a list of cleaning, maintenance, improvement and building projects that is quite staggering in its scale. All of these projects are vital in ensuring our Trust is even better tomorrow than it is today.

Here is a list of just a few of the improvements that our fantastic premises staff are making this summer:

Dovers Green School

• Building of new storage cupboard for cleaning essentials.
• Decorating.
• Replacement of fencing around rear covered area of school.

Holmesdale Community Infant School

• Decorating of main hall and classrooms.
• Replacing the Hot and Cold-water pipework throughout the school.
• Replacing the main heating boilers.

Horley Infant School

• Installing new kitchen in Bobtails Nursery.
• Decorating.

Milton Mount Primary School

• Decorating to main hall and corridor.
• Tree works

Reigate School

• Decorating to classrooms.
• Refurbishment of their two Art rooms.
• Fitting of extra smart boards in classrooms.
• Building of a new year 7 servery ready for the start of the new term.
• Carpet replacement to classrooms.

St John’s Primary School

• External decorating to windows.
• Building a new SEN office within the existing SEN room.

Wray Common Primary School

• Fitting new cupboards in classrooms.
• Cleaning of external cladded buildings.
• Decorating.
• Roofing works to part of the school roof.

Yattendon School

• Decorating main hall and other areas throughout the school.
• Building partition to separate Library to form new room.

The work of our Premises and Cleaning teams might not always be in the spotlight, but their contributions are invaluable. Their dedication is the foundation upon which a successful school operates. They are the silent guardians of a safe, clean, and functional environment that enables children and staff to step into their greatness. They are the school holiday heroes who deserve our gratitude, for without them, the return to school in September would be a very messy business, rather than a fresh new start.