When it comes to school health and safety, there’s no substitute for experience. Jeanne Fairbrother from SafeSchool™ is a Chartered member of IOSH with twenty years’ experience in education health and safety, including a decade as Wirral Council’s Lead officer for schools. She now supports schools and Multi-Academy Trusts across the Wirral and the North West, providing practical, expert guidance in an increasingly complex compliance landscape.

Having worked with various systems over the years, Jeanne recently sat down with us to share why she believes iAM Compliant stands out as the best compliance solution for schools and MATs in the UK.

The Compliance Shift: Based on your experience, what is the biggest health and safety challenge schools are facing today?

"We’ve seen a significant reduction in the advice and guidance available from many local authorities; in many areas, that support has disappeared over the last six years. As schools transition to Academy Trusts and move away from that historic, paternalistic local authority approach, they often find themselves high and dry. The responsibility for compliance is now entirely on them. It is about ensuring they are compliant with the primary hazards, such as asbestos, fire, and water safety, while also keeping on top of everything else on their list despite a real lack of money in the sector."

The Expertise Gap: Why is it vital for school leaders to have an "expert friend" like yourself and iAM Compliant handling the technical H&S side so they can focus on education?

"I have so much respect for school leaders because they have to wear so many hats. The role of 'Headteacher' often morphs into 'Facilities Manager' or 'Compliance Officer' the moment a boiler breaks or a risk assessment expires. This shift suddenly highlights the gap in their knowledge, and that can compromise both the quality of education and the safety of the school environment. That is where we step in. At SafeSchool™ we provide the 'call a friend' service, and our schools know they can phone us pretty much anytime for solid advice. Then, using iAM Compliant gives them peace of mind that checks, inspections, and servicing are all being carried out and staff are being trained. It takes the compliance headache away and allows them to focus on the children."

The Expert in Your Pocket: Jeanne and SafeSchool™ provide invaluable hands-on support for schools in the North-West. Sadly, not every school has access to expertise like this. That’s why iAM Compliant includes a library of Expert ‘How To’ Guides built directly into the system. These guides translate dense legislation into simple, step-by-step instructions, ensuring your team knows exactly how to stay compliant, even without a consultant on-site.

The Risk Factor: What is the biggest risk schools take when they "make do" with a system that isn't fit for purpose?

"The most common issue we find with other systems (not iAM Compliant) is that they are so clunky that, although a Trust invests lots of money in them, no one actually uses them. There is nothing properly recorded; no one knows how to use the platform and it becomes a redundant system. This leads to a fragmented approach where schools use multiple ineffective systems for different tasks. They are then lulled into a false sense of security, believing they are compliant when they are actually just dabbling in the system. The risk is high stress for staff and a potential financial cost if they cannot locate essential paperwork during an inspection. However, this is not the case for users of iAM Compliant."

Working with Other Experts: Having recently invited Andy Ball onto your webinar, could you talk about your trust in the experts at iAM and how you first came to know the system?

Why iAM?What is it about iAM Compliant that makes you confident in recommending it to the schools you advise?

"We know it works because we have worked with schools using iAM Compliant for over six years and can see the difference it makes. Compared to other clunky systems, iAM Compliant is the simplest and most intuitive to navigate. It is not an expensive system, and it is very easy for third parties like us to be given access. Most importantly, it’s built by ex-school people for school people. It saves the need for separate systems for estates, accidents, and training. Everything is in one place. I love it." 

The "Gold Standard": In your professional opinion, what makes iAM the "go-to" choice for compliance in the North West?

"With the increase in MATs, it allows Trust Leaders and CEOs to have oversight over a varied estate of schools of different ages and sizes. This helps them achieve consistency. The training is all school-focused; you can allocate it and ensure employees complete it with automatic reminders. I particularly love the accident section; all accidents have Trust oversight instantly, which reduces organisational risk. iAM knows schools, period. Plus, it looks great, which really helps with staff engagement."

Saving Time: How much time do schools actually save by ditching manual spreadsheets for iAM?

"We always encourage schools to move away from fragmented, paper-and-spreadsheet compliance. It saves tons of hours for both the school and our consultancy. For example, within iAM Compliant, our team can review and respond to 30 to 50 accidents a day with minimal effort compared to handling scanned forms and manual emails. Preparing for an audit or inspection is also so much easier when all the records are digital and easy to find. It makes the whole process more efficient and less stressful."

Impact on Schools: When a school moves from manual spreadsheets to a system like iAM, what’s the biggest change you notice in their culture or safety levels?

"With manual systems, schools 'find' all their documents for an audit, but then things might tail off. With iAM, compliance becomes a constant; inspections take place, reminders are sent, and servicing happens. It gives schools a real sense that they are on top of things. Because more staff are involved in reporting accidents or reviewing training, it makes health and safety everyone’s responsibility, which is exactly what every policy aims for. iAM Compliant is essentially teaching the staff to be more proactive through the system."

The ‘Peace of Mind’ Factor: What is the first thing you notice when a school you're advising finally switches to iAM?

"I notice immediate buy-in for health and safety across the school. Schools don’t wait for audits; they know exactly how good their management system is. They are reassured by having one source of truth. We no longer have to wait while staff thumb through Lever Arch files for ages looking for a document. It helps the site teams become much more professional and less ad hoc. They have systems, records, and training at their fingertips, which gives everyone involved massive peace of mind."

When asked why she continues to be such a strong advocate for the system, Jeanne’s recommendation is simple:

"I would recommend iAM Compliant to schools and MATs because it represents a whole school approach to health and safety. It makes schools proactive, gives them order, and combines everything into one system created specifically for schools. It is one of the best compliance solutions for schools and MATs in the UK."

Jeanne Fairbrother is a Chartered member of IOSH and an experienced health and safety practitioner with 18 years in the education sector. Having served as Lead Officer for schools at Wirral Council for 10 years, she now provides independent consultancy and advice to schools and trusts across the UK. Find out more about Jeanne and SafeSchool™ here. Thank you Jeanne for your support for iAM Compliant!

What is iAM Compliant?

The Award-Winning School Compliance and Estates Management System
iAM Compliant is a leading software solution specifically built for UK primary schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) to simplify complex statutory responsibilities. Designed by former facilities managers and compliance experts, the platform ensures every school remains safe, sustainable, and audit-ready.

Key features include:

• Estate & Facilities Management: Manage everything from boiler services to asbestos records in one place.

• Health & Safety Compliance: Turn DfE regulations into clear, actionable tasks with expert-built templates.

• Real-Time Dashboards: Gain powerful trust-wide oversight to identify risks before they become problems.

Trusted by over 1,600 schools, iAM Compliant helps school business managers and leaders save time and focus on what matters most: delivering an excellent education.