Richard Crabtree – Chief Estates Officer
To receive notification in the middle of the night that your school is on fire is one of
the most daunting experiences a person can face. You presume that your insurance will sort
out everything, however the reality can be very different.
The morning following the fire we contacted our insurance company and their response was ‘Yes
that’s fine....just get on with it’. Whilst there was the assurance that the funding was being made
available to us, to be told to ‘get on with it!’ was a daunting prospect. Where to start? Who to
inform? How to become functional again? How to continue delivering education in the meantime?
We immediately contacted The Council’s Built Environment Team, who have the necessary
experience and skills to react and deal with such matters. Building and Technical Services
responded quickly to our needs. Within half an hour we had people on site, advising, organising
and overseeing everything that needed to be undertaken. It took a lot of pressure and
workload off our shoulders at a time when we needed the support and ensured we were up and
running as quickly as possible.
We would highly recommend that schools take out an SLA with Building and Technical Service
just for the Major Incident/Disaster Recovery cover if nothing else. We know from experience
what a difference that cover made to us.
Wow! How great is this thank you card from Addingham Primary! BTS absolutely loved the personal touch from the children thanking the team and we loved building for them! Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful Addingham.
This afternoon saw the handover following building work to facilitate our expansion from 2.5 to 3 form entry. The project has taken place over much of the last school year. I am writing on behalf of Mike Pope, the Headteacher and the whole of the school community to officially thank and commend Chris Richards for his excellent leadership of the project.
This is the fifth building project we have had at the school so we know what a well-managed project looks like! Health and Safety, working to support the smooth running of the school, and ensuring that the work was of a high standard have been priorities for Chris, while never forgetting the need to get the project finished on time. He has liaised daily with the school site team, held regular more formal meetings and kept the school leaders informed at every stage. Problems were all dealt with a calm voice of experience that told us it wasn’t a big problem and would be sorted out before we knew it – and always was. Any small issues we had were passed on to the people who could deal with them and Chris always checked back that they had been dealt with.
His team, following his lead, have been professional but friendly, understanding that they were working in a school and the that needs of the children were a priority. We are really pleased with the outcome of the building work. It reflects our priorities and ethos and we feel that our existing pupils have benefitted from the work as much as future pupils will; Chris’s leadership of the team on site was a vital part of this.
Philippa Tomlinson
Deputy head
I just wanted to send a quick message through to pass on our thanks to the Building Services Team for all of the work they have completed in school as part of the expansion programme. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with and we have been particularly impressed with how they have liaised with the school to ensure that any disruption has been minimised. John has been a fantastic Site Foreman and nothing has been too much trouble while he has been on site. He has been so flexible and ensured that everything has run like clockwork - he was very good at timing work to fit around the school timetables and he is a real asset to the team. We would also like to thank Adrian as well, who has always been very honest about the progress / difficulties and has also been incredibly helpful at each stage of the works. We have been very impressed with all of the Building Services Team who have worked with us over the past 3 phases of works and will certainly look at using their services in the future if we require any works.
I am not sure whether Darren Hindle and Craig Blackwell are part of your team, but they have both been absolutely incredible throughout all of the works. They have been so patient and understanding and I really appreciate how much they have both done throughout all of the works. They have made the whole process so easy and nothing has ever been too much trouble. I have been so grateful for their efficiency, patience and support.
Helen Thompson
Headteacher
Over the past few weeks we have had lots of FM workmen in Thompson Court completing building works and an external contractors completing works on Myrtle wing bathroom.
We at Thompson Court would like to compliment all the workers that have been in Thompson Court, who have applied themselves extremely well with patience and understanding of the service, service users and all of the staff sometimes at very busy times which has been difficult for us. Also the FM boys (the joinery ones) insisted that we show them where the vacuum and other cleaning items were so that they could clear up the majority of any mess made when completing the major alterations. They also worked round us to ensure that the hairdressing salon was not only moved but okay to use on a Thursday the day the hairdresser comes to do all the service user’s hair (this service means a lot to the service users especially to the ladies who love to have their hair done).
With thanks to everyone from Miriam (Unit Manager) and all the managers and staff at Thompson Court.
We were very happy with the service we received from Bradford Council’s Building and Technical Services for project managing our refurbishment work over the summer.
We had a single point of contact, as well as daily site updates for prompt resolution of any issues.
Staff were courteous and knowledgeable and customer service was excellent both during and after the work was completed. I would recommend their services to other schools, and would use them again for future work.
Helen Child
School Business Manager
I would like to convey my pleasure at the work that was undertaken by Building Services at Blakehill Primary School, converting an empty room into a fully functional ICT Suite.
Having assisted in the design, they proceeded to undertake the work to a high standard. The communication between Facilities Management and I was excellent, which in turn alleviated any apprehension that I may have had prior to work commencing.
Building Services were very accommodating and sensitive to the needs of the school. The site personnel demonstrated a professional attitude throughout and I recommend the services to other Head teachers as the service provides good value for money.
Mr Trevor Patterson,
Head Teacher, Blakehill Primary School
Estate Management have commissioned a diverse range of building/refurbishment projects on an annual basis from Building and Technical Services. We receive an excellent service from inception to conclusion. They provide a high standard of work, at competitive rates and deliver to agreed timescales.
Their knowledge and experience with regard to legislation is invaluable and provides confidence to us as Client that risks are mitigated and that the end product is compliant.
The service are respectful of the client and the client stakeholders and work in partnership throughout the project to ensure that the very best solutions are achieved to meet the needs of same.
Stephanie Moore, Estate Manager
Our committee would like to thank your department for all their help over the past 12 months. In particular we were very impressed with the commitment and professionalism of Richard. He spent a lot of time making sure the project would succeed and finding suitable solutions to the many problems that arose. He is a very likeable individual and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. He liaised well with us and the main contractor IAG as well as other departments in the Council.
All in all it was a well executed project which ran very smoothly and we would like to record our thanks to you all. When we find another project (and the money of course) we may well be in contact again!
Peter Foster
Chair Denholme Community Association
(On behalf of the whole committee)
I am writing to thank you all very much for your time last week underneath and on top of Shipley Pool. What a tremendous experience! And what a fantastic achievement! I was massively impressed, possibly more impressed than I have been by anything the Council has done during my stint as a councillor! The panels and all the associated energy efficiency measures are quite simply staggering. So, thank you all very much.
Cllr Kevin Warnes
Green, Shipley Ward
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
