Summer Shutdown Risk: What MATs and schools often overlook

When schools close for summer, the risks don’t switch off when term ends — they escalate.

In fact, UK data shows a 44% spike in school fires during August, with many incidents occurring out of hours and linked to deliberate ignition (Zurich UK analysis), a stark reminder of what can happen when sites are left quieter, but not unused.

For MAT and school leaders, this creates a difficult reality: reduced occupancy often means reduced oversight, just at the point when vulnerability is at its highest.

And while leadership presence dips, school sites rarely go fully dormant. Clubs, lettings and contractors continue to operate, meaning responsibility is often split across multiple groups, and that’s exactly where gaps in oversight, communication and compliance can emerge.

This session will focus on how to stay firmly in control of your site over the summer shutdown, with clear roles, simple systems, and practical steps to reduce risk when it matters most.

During the session, we will be looking at:

• Let us introduce you to this week's professional speaker, Isthar Pearce

Isthar Pearce is the Head of the Health, Safety and Fire Safety team, with twenty years of experience on an advisory and management level within the private and public sectors. Her last eight years have been primarily focused on the education sector.  She firmly believes that people’s health, safety, and well-being are intrinsically linked to an organisation’s success. She enjoys assisting clients with strategic planning, developing H&S procedures and empowering clients to make informed H&S decisions. Her responsibilities also include supporting the H&S team and developing and delivering various courses.