If you’re responsible for school grounds maintenance, understanding which tasks need to be completed is just one part of your duties. You must also make sure that these maintenance tasks are carried out at the right time, as failure to prepare properly can lead to crucial areas being out of action at the wrong moments. While school holidays provide a great opportunity to carry out maintenance, other factors such as key events and reactive repairs must be considered.
To help you plan the right schedule, we have compiled the following guidance detailing when is best to plan your school grounds maintenance.
Grounds Maintenance In The School Holidays
School holidays, particularly the longer summer break, are ideal for tackling significant school grounds maintenance projects. With both students and staff guaranteed to be off-site for weeks at a time, this period gives ample opportunity to carry out larger-scale work without disruption. For example, the following work is often completed most efficiently during this time:
- Resurfacing playing fields and sports pitches
- Reseeding grass
- Repairing playground surfaces
- Irrigation system maintenance
- Repainting line markings in car parks and other heavy-use areas
Tasks such as tree pruning and tree removal may also be best scheduled for the holidays to avoid any term time safety hazards. However, while the school holidays provide an undisputed opportunity for intensive work, leaving all school grounds maintenance until this period is potentially dangerous. Issues that may pose safety issues, such as fallen or damaged trees or non-compliant equipment identified in a playground inspection, should always be dealt with immediately.
It can also be highly impractical to leave all of your grounds maintenance to one, usually six-week block. Schools with a proactive approach will have an ongoing maintenance plan in place instead, preventing a backlog of tasks from building up while still making the most of the quieter summer holiday period for the largest works.
Maintenance For Key School Events
To schedule school grounds maintenance effectively throughout the school year, a strong awareness of the calendar is key. Every school diary is packed with important events which will require outdoor spaces to be well-maintained. Whether it’s sports day or an open day, regular maintenance rather than last-minute fixes ensures that fields, pathways and playgrounds are safe and presentable on the days it matters most.
In particular, sports fields and pitches require special preparation ahead of key competitions. It’s too late to wait until the summer holidays to tend to these spaces – they need to be maintained throughout the winter and spring to ensure they are ready for these events and their peak use in summer. For example, regular grass cutting and aeration should be scheduled well in advance to keep pitches in top condition. Tasks like line marking can happen much closer to a key event, but should still be scheduled in advance to avoid any last-minute scrambles.
Year Round & Proactive Maintenance
Ultimately, the best time for school grounds maintenance is year round. By this, we don’t just mean specific tasks scheduled in preparation for key events, but rather a combination of ongoing maintenance, event preparation, and reactive work. Tasks such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, and weed control can all be completed throughout the year and it’s this kind of proactive approach that will keep the site looking its best and ensure that minor issues don’t escalate into larger problems.
Adapting your maintenance schedule to the changing seasons is also essential. Autumn will focus on clearing leaves and maintaining drainage, winter requires gritting, and spring is a great time for landscaping. By staying ahead of maintenance needs throughout the year, your school can prevent emergency repairs, keep outdoor areas safe and inviting, and ensure facilities are always ready for students, staff, and visitors.
If you require any assistance in scheduling and completing your school grounds maintenance tasks, please reach out to us at Arborcure. Our experienced team works with a range of schools in Devon & Cornwall and can help you to develop a tailored maintenance schedule and ensure your facilities are in the best possible condition at all times.
