School estates: condition reporting core facts publication guidance: FOI release
- Published
- 28 January 2025
- Directorate
- Learning Directorate
- Topic
- Education, Public sector
- FOI reference
- FOI/202400445141
- Date received
- 13 December 2024
- Date responded
- 17 January 2025
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. A copy of any guidance or instructions sent to local authorities to assess and report the condition of school estates for the year 2014.
2. How the guidance for local authorities used in the year 2014 differs from the most recent guidance from 2017.
Response
Response to request 1:
The Condition Core Facts guidance, which was in place in 2014, was published in 2007, and was superseded in 2017 by the current ‘School Estates: Condition Reporting Core Facts’ guidance.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance given the time that has elapsed, we no longer hold a copy of the previous 2007 guidance which is obsolete.
Response to request 2:
The current guidance was produced as the result of a collaborative venture between the Scottish Government, Scottish Futures Trust, Local Authorities’ Scottish Heads of Property Services and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, Education Scotland, Scottish Building Standards, and Architecture & Design Scotland.
It was prepared to strengthen the risk-based approach to condition surveys through a raised awareness of the importance of effective risk management as an integral part of the facilities management regime. Furthermore, it intends to ensure greater uniformity in the scope and methodology applied to each school, by every authority, to minimise variations in assessment methods and criteria. In this context, it aims to reduce the inconsistencies arising from different property officers or external contractors exercising varying, but equally valid professional views, by setting out the framework within which judgements should be made.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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