When parents send their children off to school every day, whether the property’s drains are in good working order is probably the last thing on their mind. But in reality, hundreds of thousands of people working in and learning in schools rely on the drainage systems running below ground every day. And due to the major wear and tear they face throughout the school year, it’s essential school operators and councils work together to ensure plans are in place to prevent disruption.
There are a number of key indicators that a school is suffering from poor drainage, from foul smells and sinks which are slow to drain to flooding in the car park and toilets struggling to flush. There are also several different causes of these issues, including blockages, a build-up of uric scale in underground pipework, and debris and silt entering gullies and grids. Should such issues be allowed to develop over time, they have the potential to overwhelm the sewer and drainage network supplying a school, which can lead to site closures, damage to the infrastructure and more importantly disrupted learning.
That’s why it’s essential to conduct regular inspections of your school’s drainage systems; doing so enables you to identify problems that have the potential to escalate, and to implement the necessary course of action towards resolving the issue, so there’s less chance of disruption on site.
Metro Rod and Metro Plumb have over 35 years of experience working with education providers, so we understand the impact that a blocked drain or burst pipe can cause. In partnership with you, we’ll develop a Pre-Planned Maintenance (PPM) program to clean your drains and keep your clean and wastewater flowing. We’ll also conduct CCTV surveys of your drainage network, urinal descaling, gutter clearing, and empty the grease traps in your kitchens – all of which, if left untreated, have the potential to create a huge impact on your premises.
Essentially, we’ll also ensure your students’ education remains undisturbed by conducting inspections during weekends and in holiday periods. That way, whether it’s another Monday morning or the first day after a long break, your pupils come back to clean, safe environments.
All our engineers are Enhanced DBS checked and fully certified to work in schools, colleges and nurseries, and all carry photo ID badges. With over 450 engineers in our network, the engineer attending your site is always local, from within one hours drive.
Many of our engineers have children in full-time education within their local network areas. As a result, they have a vested interest in supporting their local community and build long-lasting relationships with school facility managers, caretakers and headteachers.
In fact, it’s our engineers who’ve helped us develop a CSR initiative to create a wealth of new walking buses across the country. We provide sponsorship to primary schools who want to take part, providing pupils with high-vis jackets for their safety as well as materials they can use to understand the importance of reducing their environmental impact. Supporting local communities runs through the culture of our business, from sponsorships to fundraising and contributing to charities, such as FoodCycle – a charity tackling food waste and loneliness. Our recent EcoVadis Silver award recognises this commitment.
Don’t wait for a problem to take hold at your school or college before investing in drainage support; every day is a chance to learn, so enable your pupils to maximise that opportunity by ensuring the infrastructure keeping your school open is always getting top marks.
To discuss how Metro Rod can support your school in preventing disruption, call us today on 01625 507945 to arrange and site visit and a free, no-obligation quote.
