The Diocesan Education Service serves over 235 primary and secondary schools located across 13 local authorities. It is the aim of the DES to secure, protect and improve all aspects of Catholic Education across these schools. Crucial to this is the support and advice service we provide in relation to all aspects of managing assets within the school estate.

School Buildings, Sites and Land

The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of 22 dioceses in England and Wales covering 204 primary schools and 37 secondary schools, with a geographical area of 3,373 square miles. The diocese covers 13 local authority areas including the counties of Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.

​As the trustees of the Archdiocese of Birmingham own the majority of academy and voluntary aided school sites in the diocesan area, approval should be sought (via the Capital team) prior to any building work being undertaken.
Estate Management Standard for those overseeing, managing, and working in estates, property, and infrastructure within schools. They are an overarching principle, on which schools should build on in managing their estate effectively.
Further information is available in the DFE guide: DfE Estates Management Standards 2025

Energy & The Diocesan Response to the Climate Emergency

The Vatican released the much-anticipated encyclical by Pope Francis, 'Laudato Si' - Care of our common home, in 2015 and is addressed to "every person living on this planet". An encyclical is a letter circulated by the Pope to Catholic churches worldwide.  'Laudato Si' explained.  Through 'Laudato Si' - On Care For Our Common Home, Pope Francis urges society to move away from the myth of perennial progress at the expense of the Earth's resources, and calls on us to recognise that development which fails to respect the Earth is a false economy.  Love and care for creation are an essential dimension of our Catholic faith.  A social encyclical on human development and the environment, like 'Laudato Si', helps Catholic believers address, reflect and respond to the environmental challenges our world is facing today.  It provides a foundation to build upon.

In 2021 the Archdiocese of Birmingham agreed to several commitments to address the issue of the climate crisis.  The Archdiocese is taking the reduction of its carbon footprint very seriously with environmental action and care for creation built into the Archdiocesan vision and structural planning.

On the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecologists and animals, the Social Justice Department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has launched a new edition of its teaching document on the environment. The Call of Creation.
A number of organisations provide free resources for schools and communities.

DES Suite of Building Approval Documents

Catholic School Licences and Hire Agreements

For a licence to occupy please contact the property team - [email protected]​

Health and Safety

The employer of school staff is responsible for health and safety, though tasks may be delegated to staff. The day to day responsibility for the running of the school lies with the headteacher. In law, the headteacher can be deemed the 'responsible person' so must be aware of the relevant health and safety legislation which relates to schools buildings and sites. 

One of the key area's of Health & Safety in schools is Statutory Testing and maintenance checks. Some of these tests are statutory by law. The Diocesan Education Service is currently carrying out an audit of Local Authorities to see what monitoring of schools currently takes place. (A number of local authorities offer this as a traded service for which schools have to pay.) This does not however, remove the responsibility of ensuring each of these tests and checks are carried out. This responsibility still rests with the school. 
Further correspondence and updates for headteachers will follow in due course, including a schedule of statutory tests and maintenance for school use.

Should schools have a query regarding a health and safety matter on the school site, please contact Toni Guest at the BDES for further information [email protected]​

Key Documents for Health and Safety

Place Planning

The Diocesan Education Service as the agent of the Archbishop and Trustees has a responsibility to secure for the future the best quality Catholic provision of school places and to work in strategic partnership with a wide range of partners to secure sufficient good quality Catholic school places for all children that require one. It would therefore be prudent to gather data and information on the current availability and the likely future demand for Catholic school places. A strategic ‘needs analysis’ will form the foundation for securing sufficient Catholic school places for the future. However, the statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places ultimately rests with the local authority.​

Insurance

Academies & VA schools are able to purchase their insurance requirements through:  
Voluntary Aided Schools are also able to purchase their insurance requirements through their own local authority insurance framework – Additional 10% Insurance from PIB insurance services IS Required.