Policy on School Cleaning and Maintenance – including safe working practises

when school cleaning and carrying out school maintenance.

Reviewed – September 2013

Adjustments Completed – 20th November 2013
To be reviewed – November 2014

Purpose of Policy
The purpose of this policy is to bring together the procedures and policies relating to maintenance
and the cleaning of the school. The policy applies to everyone working at the school whether an
employee or a parent volunteering. Particular attention should be paid during school
maintenance days that correct procedures are followed.

Maintenance
The maintenance of the school is the responsibility of the Trustees and all maintenance tasks must
be agreed by them.
Maintenance tasks are written into a Maintenance Book, found in the first office that details the
task or issue. In addition an email should be sent to maintenance@tcstadmin.co.uk. This email group
includes the Trustees, the Senior Leadership Team and the Administration Team and a decision
on how to proceed. If there is a risk involved, a risk assessment should be made by the person
assigned the task and the trustees will decide if the task can be done immediately, or needs to
contracted out.
All equipment used to maintain the school, such as ladders, electrical drills and vacuum cleaners
should be checked prior to use and regularly maintained according to predefined maintenance
schedule kept in the Health and Safety Folder, found in the back office.
The feet of ladders should be checked prior to use and ladders only used after assessing whether it
is appropriate and following all guidelines set out in the HSE booklet on the safe use of ladders
kept in the Health and Safety Folder.
If an outside contractor comes onto school premises to carry out maintenance work, please ensure
that they are insured to carry out the work involved and that we have all the information. If you
are unsure please

Risk assessment and procedure for cleaning the school

The risk in the school is low. Wear gloves and check the labels of all the cleaning products for
safety advice. If cleaning chemicals recommend that eye protection should be worn, then this
must be done. Dilute products as directed.
Only use approved cleaning products for the school whiteboards.
Do not work at height on your own and only do so if you have assessed the need to use a ladder,
and have properly planned what you are going to do. Ladders should not be used unless they are
secured as directed in the regulations. The footing of a ladder must be only done if tying cannot
be done. The correct use of ladders in detailed in a HSE booklet kept in the Health and Safety
Folder and a written assessment should be made if a ladder is used at height, and kept in the
Health and Safety Folder. All work over 2m should be avoided, but if the work is necessary,
contracted out to a competent person.
If electrical equipment is brought into the school it should be visually checked for any defects in
the casing, cabling and plug by the user and used at their own risk.
If cleaning equipment or chemicals are brought into the school then equipment should be visually
checked before use and only used as directed by the manufacturer and chemicals only used as
directed on the label. Do not use chemicals to clean anything that they are not designed to clean –
take particular care with the school whiteboards and computer keyboards.
If in doubt ask a competent person such as Dave or any science teacher who will check the
COSHH regulations.

Cleaning procedure; including advice on minimising the risk of spreading

infection and proper disposal of waste.
1. Empty all bins into two black bin bags (one recycling and one normal) checking all the
rooms for cleaning needs and leaving in an orderly state. Rooms to be checked include the
Mezzanine, the stage and office areas the Laboratory, the Chapel (all 4 rooms), the
Portakabin, and the Workshop. Green waste should be placed in the Green Waste Caddy
which should be lined with the appropriate green waste bag.
2. Check the sanitary bins and be sure to seal the contents of these before disposal in the
general non recyclable waste. Sanitary disposal bags are used so that items are not placed
directly in the bins unwrapped. Under no circumstances should sanitary items be flushed
down the toilet.
3. Check the toilets for supplies of toilet tissue, sanitary disposal bags, soap and paper towels
and air freshener. Fill paper towel dispensers in: kitchen, junior classroom and lab as well
as all washrooms and the staff toilet.
4. Sweep all toilet block floors, corridor floors and the kitchen floor. Place items left on the
shelves and any textbooks or other items in the reception office on the desk. Remove all
lunch boxes to the kitchen: empty their contents into the bin and rinse.
5. Clean the sinks and surfaces around the sinks using pink cloths only. Use ordinary
disinfectant spray. Ensure that the soap dispensers are clean. Please remember to do the
sinks in the kitchen as well as the four washrooms and staff toilet.
6. Clean toilet cubicles using appropriate deodorising spray. First spray door handles,
cisterns and toilet tissue dispensers. Spray toilet cistern handles, seats and the tops and
outside of the bowls. When wiping down, work from the top to the bottom, wiping the
toilet bowl last and rinsing the cloth between each toilet cubicle. In this way it is hoped
cross infection will be minimised. Please put toilet cleaner in the loos to stand overnight.
7. Disinfect the toilet floors. Only use a measure amount of disinfectant, about a small cupful
per bucket. If necessary wash the corridor floors.
8. Finally disinfect the corridor floors and the kitchen floor.
9. Put the chairs on the desk, sweep the main hall and clean the areas you have checked,
where necessary. Clean other areas on a rotational basis so that they get cleaned at least
once a week.
10. Put the black rubbish bag with general rubbish into a blue rubbish bag in the outside bin.
Ensure that as many bags as possible are enclosed. All papers towels should be recycled as
should plastics, glass and metals. The non-recyclable collection day is a Tuesday and the
recyclables are collected once a fortnight on a Wednesday. Green waste is collected on a
weekly basis.
11. Do NOT clean whiteboards. These must be cleaned with specialist cleaning product only.

Grass Cutting and Maintenance of School Grounds

Grass areas should not be cut by members of staff during work hours without prior written
agreement from the Trustees unless employed with that particular task in their job description.