Keeping staff and students safe
Health & Safety Support for Multi Academy Trusts
At Vita Safety, we help Multi Academy Trusts create safe, compliant and confident learning environments. Our specialist support brings consistency, clarity and peace of mind across every school in your trust, all in one place.
Who We Work With
We help those responsible for keeping students and staff safe across academy campuses providing expert guidance on compliance, risk management, and staff training.
This includes:
- Trustees
- Directors
- Estates Managers
- Health and Safety Leaders
- Headteachers
- Caretakers
Key Health and Safety Risks in Multi-Academy Trusts
Whilst many schools have similar risks and hazards. At multi-academy trusts these can be increased due to the number of schools, larger estates and varying building maintenance conditions. Key risk can include:
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Inconsistent Standards
Multi Academy Trusts can often have varying standards of fire compliance, fire risks assessments and consistency of health and safety compliance across schools.
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Student and Staff Wellbeing
With the largest MATs educating over 60,000 students, and employing over 9,000 staff members, it is no surprise that student and staff mental health & wellbeing is majorly important.
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Hazardous Substances
Specialist teaching spaces, such as laboratories and workshops, pose elevated risks due to hazardous substances and equipment requiring strict controls & regulations (e.g. COSHH).
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Building & Fire Safety
With larger MATs operating over 80 schools, building issues such as the presence and management of asbestos can often be ignored.
Compliance in Multi-Academy Trusts
As your competent person for health and safety, we ensure that we identify all relevant health, safety and fire regulations you must comply with. Not only this, we help to put in place robust policies and procedures to demonstrate you have the processes in place.
Our team of qualified consultants ensures your schools meet the specific legal requirements that apply to Multi-Academy Trusts
We work with you to apply Health and Safety at Work standards to all facilities, across all your schools, including buildings, sports halls, grounds, leisure facilities, and laboratories.
We work with your leadership team to align risk assessments and safety policies with government standards.
We advise clients on all construction, building and maintenance matters across all schools, when CDM may apply.
We ensure your schools’ policies meet all local authority requirements.
How We Support You
We provide a range of tailored support for Multi-Academy Trusts. Starting with a gap analysis which covers all relevant health, safety, fire and property risks across all of your schools. From there, we develop a bespoke support plan to ensure your trust can manage risks effectively and maintain a safe, compliant environment.
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Learning & Development
We deliver training courses specifically designed for Multi-Academy Trusts, including; health and safety leadership for governors and senior leadership teams, risk assessment for sports and other activities, fire safety, property risk management and first aid.
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Audits
With multiple schools to oversee, MATs face a significant number of hazards and factors that they must consider. Our comprehensive audits are tailored to your estates’ specific needs, and all the associated risks.
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Consultancy
We work with Governors, bursars and leaders to develop policies, procedures, handbooks and education specific health and safety management systems tailored to your estate. We use the latest technology to help you manage policies, procedures and facilities management online.
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Competent Person Service
We act as your trust’s competent person for health and safety, as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Our bespoke service means we are always at the end of the phone or on email for any advice you need.
Why MATs Choose Vita Safety
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FlexibilityHealth and safety support that is as flexible as you are, adapting and changing as your trust grows. Providing you with the assurance that you’re always protected and in control, even in times of change.
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Peace of MindExpert support services, benchmarked against national and international standards. Be sure that you are fully compliant with health and safety guidance and legislation across all of your schools.
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AssuranceFeel confident that you’re always doing your utmost to look after your staff and students’ physical and mental health.
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DevelopmentAccredited health and safety training for your staff that does more than just tick boxes. It’s engaging and enjoyable while delivering essential skills and knowledge.
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ControlEnabling your teams to competently and effectively take control of health and safety in your schools with expertise and autonomy. Minimise risks and keep your staff and students safe from hazards, injuries and illnesses.
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Unique to YouEvery academy is unique. We listen to what you need and build bespoke service packages to match your specifications and requirements exactly.
Building relationships that last
Change for growth and good
We build long-term partnerships with our clients based on mutual trust and respect. Discover what our valued clients have to say about the support and services we provide.
“Working with Vita Safety has been invaluable in helping us strengthen our health and safety culture across the Trust. Their team quickly understood our context, supported our growth, and provided clear, practical guidance that has given our trustees and school leaders real confidence.
“The assurance they provide, through audits, policy development, and ongoing expert advice, has enabled us to focus on what matters most: creating safe, supportive environments for our pupils, staff, and communities. Vita Safety have been a trusted partner from day one, and we genuinely value their expertise and commitment.”
Anthony Benedict, Executive Headteacher, Ambition Community Trust
“Vita Safety have provided consistently high quality health and safety support to Wright Robinson College. Their audits are thorough, professional, and clearly focused on practical improvement, giving us confidence that risks are being managed effectively across our large and complex site.
“The team take the time to understand our PFI arrangements and work collaboratively with us and our facilities partners, making the whole process smooth and constructive. Their expert advice and detailed reporting have been invaluable in strengthening our compliance and ensuring a safe environment for staff, pupils, and visitors. Vita Safety are a trusted and highly dependable partner.”
Jon Marshall, PFI Contract Manager, Wright Robinson College
Frequently Asked Questions
How do MATs manage estates safety at scale?
MATs can manage estates safety by using trust‑wide systems, regular audits, and web‑based action‑tracking tools that help monitor risk, ensure consistency, and maintain compliance across all schools. Centralised document storage also makes it easier to oversee safety trust‑wide.
How do MATs ensure staff competence across all academies?
Trusts maintain staff competence through specialist, education‑focused training delivered both on‑site and remotely. Training, such as that offered by Vita Safety covers key topics such as fire safety, asbestos, risk assessments, trips, contractor management and first aid, ensuring all staff have the skills they need.
How should health and safety be governed across multiple academies?
Health and safety governance should include trust‑level oversight, regular board briefings, centralised monitoring tools, and consistent risk profiling across all schools. This ensures leaders maintain visibility and control over trust‑wide risks and compliance.
Should health and safety policies be standardised across a MAT?
Yes. Standardised, trust‑wide health and safety policies provide consistency, clarity and stronger compliance, while still allowing adaptations for school‑specific risks where needed.
Get in touch with our expert education support team
If you’re looking for expert support with health and safety across your schools, we can help.
By outsourcing your trust’s health and safety management with Vita Safety, you get the immediate support you need now, and a partner to help you take control of your school’s health and safety for the future.
We get to know you and your institution, and provide comprehensive health and safety support that is just what you need to keep your staff and students safe.
Fill in our contact form, let us know what health and safety challenges you’re facing, and we’ll get back to you by the end of the next working day.
