Flying High Trust: Optimising Estate Management
21 Academies | 7 Geographical Locations | 12 Years of Strategic Support
All information in this case study is accurate at the point of publication.
Services Delivered
25 Condition Surveys | 1 Capacity Report | 2 CAD Plans
Outcome
100% Schools Equipped with 3-5 Year Development Plans | Double Physical Footprint Achieved for the Same Budget | Stronger Funding Bids and Improved Success Rates
The Challenge
Flying High Trust oversees 28 primary academies across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire but faced significant challenges in managing its growing estate.
Nick Layfield, Operations Manager, highlights the key issues:
- Limited Funds
“The big challenges we face in education are limited funds, multiple stakeholders’ expectations, and vastly different skill sets. A Headteacher’s role is to focus on education, not building management, so they need to trust their advisors and contractors.“
- Lack of Transparency
External companies often conducted surveys and quoted for their own remedial work, raising conflict-of-interest concerns. “It didn’t sit right with me,” Nick explains.
- Difficulty Prioritising Budgets
Schools lacked the data to make informed decisions, resulting in reactive budgeting and rising costs. Nick summarises:
“Without detailed information, schools didn’t know how to prioritise their funds effectively, which led to problems growing larger and more expensive over time.”
The Trust sought a partner to deliver independent, transparent assessments and provide tools for smarter, long-term estate planning.
Our Solution
To address Flying High Trust’s challenges, we delivered a comprehensive, data-driven approach tailored to their needs:
- Condition Surveys and Capacity Report
We conducted 25 detailed Condition Surveys across the Trust’s academies, identifying maintenance needs, compliance issues, and long-term risks.
A capacity report assessed current space utilisation and highlighted opportunities for expansion, ensuring resources were maximised efficiently.
- CAD Floor Plans for Clearer Insights
We developed CAD floor plans for key sites, providing accurate layouts and visual clarity for maintenance, upgrades, and strategic planning.
Additional plans are in progress, further supporting the Trust’s estate management goals.
- Independent and Transparent Advice
Our assessments were entirely independent, ensuring unbiased recommendations free from conflicts of interest.
This gave the Trust full confidence in prioritising projects based solely on their schools’ needs.
- Digital Dashboards for Strategic Planning
We provided user-friendly digital dashboards, enabling the Trust to visualise data, monitor progress, and make informed decisions for budgeting and development.
Nick Layfield, Operations Manager, noted:
“Their digital approach gave us the insight we needed to make smarter decisions, both for day-to-day operations and long-term strategic goals.”
Our tailored support empowered Flying High Trust to tackle its estate challenges with clarity, confidence, and a long-term strategy.
The Outcomes
Our partnership with Flying High Trust delivered lasting improvements in their approach to estate management, enabling them to:
- Establish Long-Term Plans
Every academy now benefits from a 3-5 year development plan, ensuring proactive, strategic investment in their facilities.
- Maximise Budgets
By identifying underutilised spaces, the Trust doubled its physical footprint within the same budget, making resources stretch further.
- Strengthen Funding Bids
Data-backed applications have significantly improved the Trust’s success rate in securing additional funding.
- Empower Decision-Making
With transparent, detailed data at their fingertips, the Trust can now prioritise maintenance and upgrades effectively, reducing costs over time.
Nick Layfield reflects:
“Building Spatial Intelligence didn’t just provide solutions; they gave us the tools to think differently about how we manage our estate.”
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Future-Proofed for Growth
Flying High Trust is now equipped to meet future demands with confidence. With clear, data-driven plans, maximised budgets, and stronger funding bids, the Trust is well-positioned for sustainable growth. Independent assessments and advanced digital tools ensure that every academy is prepared to meet evolving challenges, providing a high-quality learning environment where pupils can thrive for years to come.
Ready to transform your estate management? Contact us today to find out how we can help your Trust achieve similar outcomes.
