Infrastructure

We are committed to our pupils and academy staff, so that they have:

• Quality, comfortable, and safe estates to support, learning, and teaching across the Trust
• Access to technology as needed, along with the necessary support, skills, and guidance to use it effectively and safely in their work
• Effective purchasing to drive best value, savings, compliance and increase efficiency

Estates

We provide structure and support to academies ensuring that buildings and sites are managed responsibly to be:

• Fit for purpose and comfortable for teaching and learning
• Safe, compliant and have a planned maintenance regime in place
• Improved to reduce carbon emissions and drive down high energy costs

We manage a portfolio value of £1bn+ worth of buildings and sites across the Trust and organise an annual programme of projects to improve compliance and address maintenance and curriculum need.  We have in place our own regional process to manage building compliance certification.

We work alongside other organisations such as local authorities, the DfE and grant-awarding bodies such as the Football Foundation and Sport England, to take advantage of funding opportunities to develop academy sites. We have in place our own sinking fund system to maintain our sports pitches for the benefit of pupils and local communities.

What we do

Good estates management and the life cycle of buildings are crucial in ensuring pupils and staff benefit from a built environment that is safe, warm, dry and which supports and enhances learning appropriately. The team is here to provide strategy and structure for good estate management including:

• premises development planning – how your building needs to adapt for the future
• building condition and valuation ​​​​​​​– understanding costs
• statutory building compliance and planned maintenance – providing assurance
• health & safety and risk management – providing assurance
• energy reduction strategies to reduce carbon emissions and waste
• capital building programmes – targeting Trust capital investment for the benefit of schools

Environmental sustainability

We are showing strong civic leadership to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and cut operational costs. We will endeavour to support the government’s net carbon zero goal by 2050.

Our Environmental Sustainability Strategy aims to fulfil our social, legal, and educational duties, concentrating on staff and pupil behaviour, as well as school facilities. Such as:

• Refurbishment projects at OAT buildings have targeted lower energy usage by improving thermal efficiency in roofs, windows, and doors, enhancing heating controls, utilising low energy heating and hot water systems, and installing LED lighting where feasible. Currently, more than three-quarters of OAT academies have a high proportion of LED lighting.
• Twenty-one academies are equipped with solar panels, each generating over 1,500 MWh of electricity annually and resulting in an estimated annual cost avoidance of approximately £350,000.
• Twenty-six sites now feature LED lighting in all spaces, while eleven additional sites are nearing full implementation of LED lighting.
• A number of academies use biomass, ground source heat pumps, and solar thermal technologies.
• Innovative construction methods, such as offsite constructed building blocks with low carbon consumption, have been used at Ormiston Venture Academy, Cliff Park Ormiston Academy, Edward Worlledge Ormiston Academy, and City of Norwich School.
• The organisation plans continued investment in green technologies to further reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption at academies. Additional projects involving LED, PV, and other low carbon heating and hot water systems are included in future investment programmes.

Nearly half of our academies have achieved the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, with ambitions to increase this number in the coming year. Our commitment to sustainability is further demonstrated by the planting over 630 trees and the active involvement of over 300 eco-committee members. They are leading initiatives focused on energy savings, biodiversity, waste reduction, and the promotion of sustainable transportation across our schools.

All electricity provided through OAT’s central contract is sourced from low-carbon providers, earning us one of the lowest per-pupil carbon footprints (0.15 tonne CO2e) among academy trusts nationally. To help manage and reduce energy consumption, the majority of our academies now utilise online systems to monitor daily gas and electricity usage.

Our building projects continue to prioritise energy efficiency, incorporating measures such as enhanced insulation, low-energy heating and lighting systems, and the integration of solar power where possible. Major procurement decisions also factor in supplier sustainability, ensuring that our environmental values are reflected in our supply chain.

Finally, all academies are transitioning to a unified, cloud-based ICT system. This collective move not only reduces energy consumption but also facilitates more efficient communication and collaboration throughout the organisation.

Leading the way and sharing best practice

James Miller, National Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability at Ormiston Academies Trust, serves as the chair and founder of The Trust Network (TTN). TTN is a national peer support network dedicated to effective school estates management and is accessible to all independently-run, state-funded schools. Established in 2014, the network now offers support to hundreds of academy trusts and is officially recognised by the Department for Education.

TTN co-ordinators from eight academy trusts collaborate to provide opportunities to share best practices, exchange knowledge, and where necessary, collectively discuss issues or concerns with the Department for Education (DfE) and other national agencies. The benefits of membership include free access to national and regional conferences, informative webinars and online discussions, as well as resources available via monthly newsletters and the TTN website. TTN is the only group of its kind to be endorsed and supported by the DfE. For further information visit The Trust Network website.

ICT

We recognise that access to reliable digital technology at the point of need is fundamental to the learning and success of all children and adults. We also understand that the provision and use of digital technology carry significant risks. At OAT, we are continually developing our technology infrastructure, applications, security and skills to provide great teaching, learning and working environments where everyone can excel, while keeping safeguarding and security at the heart of our decision-making.

Through our digital strategy, we support our academies to continually develop and improve the use of technology to deliver curriculum and operational needs. The strategy provides for the development of a coherent IT service to meet four objectives:

1. A shared high-quality experience – everyone should be able to collaborate and work effectively, regardless of time, location, or role.
2. A clear focus on quality of education – all our decisions and resources are allocated to meet education objectives.
3. A safe and skilled digital community – our children, staff, parents and carers, governors, and stakeholders are protected, and understand how to protect others.
4. A cost-effective, adaptable model for the future – our choices represent value for money and enable us to grow with the needs of the organisation.

In practice, these objectives will provide significant benefits, such as:

• Ensure our staff, pupils and wider community have the skills they need to use technology effectively.
• Provide a safe, secure and sustainable (digital) working environment.
• Enable staff and pupils to collaborate and communicate across any of our sites, to improve their learning and development.
• Ensure teachers and pupils have access to technology when they need it, and wherever they need it.

Using the objectives above for guidance, the strategy will create unified, fit-for-purpose digital services to meet the needs of our pupils, staff, parents and carers, governors, and trustees. To achieve this, the central IT team is leading us through a programme of Trust-wide projects (the OAT Digital Programme).

These projects, along with a costed development plan tailored for each academy, have already allowed our academies and staff to remove barriers to collaboration, work continuously without downtime, increase online safety, and improve value for money. This risk-based approach continues to provide a pathway to achieving our objectives and maintaining excellent IT provision for all children and staff.

Commercial procurement

We procure the resources and services that empower our pupils and staff to excel. We deliver outcomes with diligence and integrity, operating within the framework of the Academies Financial Handbook and all relevant UK legislation, ensuring responsible stewardship of our funding.

The procurement function is regarded as a strategic contributor within the organisation. By providing compliant and value-oriented solutions that aim to save time and resources, the team supports the delivery of educational services across the Trust. The function oversees the acquisition of goods and services and promotes standardisation and streamlining initiatives consistent with organisational objectives.

Through six strategic drivers that reduce duplication, cut costs, and save time, we enable our Academies to focus resources where they have the greatest impact – helping every pupil and member of staff reach their full potential. This commitment to operational excellence supports our ambition to deliver transformational outcomes and maintain our reputation for outstanding service across the Trust.