There’s no question about it, the condition and appearance of school grounds matter. Not only is it important that your site looks neat and tidy to visitors and prospective students, parents and carers, but poorly maintained facilities can also be a major safety concern. School grounds maintenance should therefore be at the very top of the priority list of Headteachers and Site Managers in 2025.
School grounds maintenance can seem like a huge undertaking, encompassing the upkeep of all areas of your outdoor space. From pitches to playground areas, schools contain a huge variety of areas which need careful care and attention. However, with a clear approach and the right tasks on your school grounds maintenance checklist, you should have no qualms in keeping your facilities in optimum condition year-round. These are the grounds maintenance tasks you need to prioritise:
Sports Pitch Maintenance
School fields and sports pitches typically take up most of any school’s grounds and their spacial dominance is reflected in their importance for both the day-to-day curriculum and extracurricular activities and fixtures. Regular upkeep should therefore be one of the first tasks on any school grounds maintenance plan.
A range of sports pitch maintenance tasks should be regularly scheduled to ensure that your pitches are safe and ready for a busy term of usage, including frequent grass cutting and clear and accurate line marking. It is also important to set aside time and resources to aerate the soil as this promotes healthy growth and improves drainage, helping to reduce the risk of waterlogging and ensuring timetabled lessons and fixtures can go ahead as planned.
Forward Planning For Events & Sports Day
Those in charge will be well aware of just how much planning and organisation goes into the main events of the school year. Weeks of planning go into putting on highlights such as Sports Day, and the success of the event can really hinge on how well your grounds are prepared and maintained in the lead-up to the competition.
Even if the summer seems a long time away, it’s important to prepare your pitches and sports facilities way ahead of time. Carefully plan exactly how you intend to utilise each space and schedule maintenance tasks such as grass cutting, line marking and equipment inspection on specific days to ensure that everything is accounted for. If space is limited at your school, you might also need to consider some temporary markings, such as athletics tracks or additional courts.
Weatherproofing
Seasonal weather conditions pose significant challenges on any school site. However, proactive measures as part of your year-round school grounds maintenance plan ensure that all outdoor areas remain safe and functional come rain or shine.
Get prepared to conduct regular leaf clearance during the Autumn months to ensure that walkways are clean and safe and that drains do not get clogged with debris. Come Winter, you will also need to be prepared for adverse conditions including snow and ice. Gritting pathways and entrances is key to guaranteeing that staff and students can move safely around your site.
Playground Maintenance & Inspections
On top of pitches and paths, playgrounds add a further dimension to your school grounds maintenance requirements. While vital to break times and student recreation, playground spaces and equipment present a unique set of risks and require appropriate maintenance to ensure safety.
To clearly identify any areas of concern and subsequent maintenance requirements, playground inspections should be regularly scheduled as part of any wider grounds maintenance for schools. In particular, equipment such as swings, slides, and climbing frames must be checked regularly for signs of damage, with repairs or replacements made promptly to prevent accidents. Safety should always be the priority in playground spaces and, with this in mind, it is strongly recommended that any inspections and/or repairs are carried out by a qualified professional in accordance with the relevant British Standards.
Weed Control
While weeds thankfully pose no immediate safety threat, their presence can still quickly detract from the appearance and usability of your school grounds. Regular weed control, including their removal alongside the preventative use of appropriate weed killers, is therefore another essential school grounds maintenance task.
It can be tempting to ignore weed growth; however, if left unattended, a simple ongoing maintenance task can quickly become a challenging and tiresome project. It is much more effective to schedule a steady level of regular weed control and strive towards the overall health of grassy areas over time.
Other General Tasks
The little and often approach can also be applied to a range of other school grounds maintenance tasks. In fact, general upkeep is the backbone of effective grounds maintenance for schools and tasks like regular litter removal and drain and gutter clearance should not be overlooked. While these tasks may seem minor, they contribute significantly to maintaining the overall quality of the school grounds alongside frequent hedge trimming and tree pruning.
Professional Help
While some of the critical school grounds maintenance tasks can be managed by internal teams, it is strongly recommended that you partner with a professional to ensure the highest standards of care. At Arborcure, our experienced team works with a range of schools in Devon & Cornwall, and the surrounding areas to fulfil a complete range of grounds maintenance tasks. From helping you to showcase your school at its best on Sports Day to visiting your site regularly to complete ongoing and proactive maintenance, our team can professionally fulfil all grounds maintenance for schools. We always work in compliance with relevant standards, giving you peace of mind that safety will be a top consideration across all of our work.
Whether you need help with a specific aspect of school grounds maintenance or would like to work alongside us to create a tailored schedule that works for your school, do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your requirements.