top of page


The caretaker died, and we killed him
The caretaker did not ‘die’ or disappear because we stopped caring about schools.
He disappeared because the job became too important to be carried by one person’s memory, ingenuity and goodwill. That is what I mean by saying “the caretaker died, and we killed him”.
Top marks for anyone that realises that is a deliberate echo of Nietzsche’s (probably) most famous line, so often misunderstood as a chest-thumping statement about atheism. It was not really that. It was actua
John Halstead
Jun 106 min read


Modern Estates Management: The Education Estates Strategy
What will this actually change in the day-to-day life of a school?
In real terms, it means estates can no longer sit quietly in the background as a reactive maintenance issue.
Schools and Responsible Bodies are being forced towards a more active, planned and evidenced approach:
John Halstead
May 112 min read


Ai + FM = FAiM ? ? ? ?
And yet… quietly, in the background, there are actually a few AI use cases that genuinely save time, money and headaches for our estates teams.
John Halstead
Apr 134 min read


Autumn-to-Winter Termly Checks
That first morning back in January is when your autumn-to-winter remedials and checks either pay off in calm… or come back to bite you.
This post sets out a practical, termly check framework for Autumn into Winter, so that when students & Staff return, your estate is ready to go from the first arrival.
Use the following 10 posts as a prompt for your own checklist, CAFM, or Microsoft Lists routine...
John Halstead
Dec 29, 20256 min read
bottom of page
