For those working within an educational setting, the health and safety of pupils is at the very core of your working life.
Every child has the right to learn in a happy and healthy environment and there are plenty of elements that come into play in maintaining this, from students having access to balanced school meals to being given plenty of room to stay active during breaktimes. However, maintaining a healthy school comes down to a lot more than just encouraging positive habits in students – there needs to be plenty of attention paid to the upkeep of the school building itself through effective education facility management.
Keeping high cleaning standards is essential for schools looking to produce happy, healthy students and hit that all-important ‘Outstanding’ OFSTED rating. Here are just a few of the best practices that schools should look to implement in order to maintain a clean and healthy school.
Ensure walkways are clean and clear
With the corridors of schools used by hundreds of staff and students a day, often at the same times, it’s no surprise that slips, trips and falls are some of the leading causes of injury to school students.
As such incidents are so common, it’s paramount that schools do all they can to maintain clean and clear walkways, free from slip and trip hazards, throughout the school building – effective waste management in schools should help with this.
An effective way to ensure corridors are safe for staff and pupils is to have them regularly assessed for hazards by a member of staff throughout the day – before pupils arrive and at quiet intervals, such as while classes are in session.
The staff members assigned to this role should be instructed to keep an eye out for any spills or trip hazards throughout the building and to have these dealt with these before large groups of students enter into these areas between lessons.
Finally, ensure that the mopping, vacuuming and polishing of floors take place outside of school hours wherever possible and, in instances where these areas must be cleaned during the day, that hazardous areas are marked clearly using bright ‘Wet Floor’ and ‘Cleaning In Progress’ signs.
Disinfect surfaces regularly
With so many children mixing closely during the school day, it’s no surprise that classrooms make the ideal breeding ground for colds, flu and viruses.
It’s essential that staff and contract cleaners for schools do whatever they can to prevent the spread of illnesses within the school environment, utilising all possible means – maintaining clean and sanitary classrooms is one of the most effective ways to do this.
Between classes and at the end of the school day, ensure that staff take the time to wipe down and sanitise all work surfaces, including desks, computers and shared whiteboards. This can often be done most effectively using a blue cloth and a suitable disinfectant spray.
Provide hand sanitiser stations
On a similar note, the spread of colds and viruses can be slowed by providing plenty of hand washing and sanitising facilities around school premises – including in the education reception area.
Given how many classroom supplies are shared by children throughout the day – pens, whiteboards, textbooks, etc. – it’s no surprise that the surface transmission of such illnesses is fairly common in school settings.
This can be reduced by giving children ample means to clean and sanitise their hands before using shared supplies in the classroom. Consider investing in automated hand sanitiser stations for pupils to use on their way into the classroom, or even simply purchasing bottles of hand sanitiser to be placed on desks.
Encouraging children to use hand sanitiser regularly may be a fairly new practice in educational settings but it’s certainly one worth implementing. Studies have shown that schools with higher levels of absence amongst pupils generally report lower GCSE results across the board, so preventing absences by reducing the spread of illness is paramount in delivering a high-quality education to every pupil.
Hire a dedicated cleaning team
Maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness in a school of any size is no small feat, making it essential that your chosen cleaning team are up to the task.
Those assigned to the task of cleaning your school should be well-versed in the many products, equipment and best practices needed to keep children safe and healthy, as well as having the ability to carry out a high-quality deep clean at the end of every school day. Samsic UK provides trusted efficient Facilities Management services across a range of industries to both commercial and institutional clients throughout the nation, including clients within the sectors of Education, Retail, Industrial, Public Sector, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and more.
The services that we offer are fully bespoke, each tailored to the specific needs of the client. We’re on hand to schools and colleges across the UK, ready to provide cleaning services such as washroom services to the very highest of standards. We also provide services in reception, security and building maintenance services, all important elements in the running of any educational institution.
For more information or to arrange a consultation, contact Samsic UK today.
