Why Most College Estate Strategies Miss the Point (and what to do about it)

Bede Sixth Form College

Written by Sean Baylis - Director at GenNorth

Further Education colleges don’t struggle to plan effective use of their accommodation because they don’t care about their estates. They struggle because they’re constantly reacting. A roof fails - a funding pot appears. A new course gets approved - and suddenly decisions are being made that will shape the estate for the next 20 years, without a clear plan behind them.

That’s the real issue.

An estate strategy shouldn’t be something you produce every few years and put on a shelf. It should be the thing that stops you making the wrong calls when the pressure is on.

The part that’s often missed is the mismatch in pace. Curriculum moves quickly. Estates don’t. You can design and approve new courses in months, but delivering the right space for it can take years. If you’re not planning ahead, you’re already behind and you won’t have the facilities ready when learners arrive. I see this time and again -  colleges doing the right thing strategically, but being held back because the estate simply can’t keep up.

And it’s not because the data isn’t there. Most colleges are sitting on a huge amount of information - condition surveys, utilisation studies, compliance data, but it rarely comes together in a way that drives decisions. So, issues get treated at surface level. Poor utilisation gets labelled as surplus space. High costs get blamed on funding pressures. But often the real problem is that the space just doesn’t work for what the college is trying to deliver, and colleges are constantly evolving to meet the needs of their students, employers and region.

A good estate strategy cuts through that. It connects the dots and gives you a clear view of what’s actually going on, what’s working, what isn’t, and where change will make a difference.

There’s also a need to be honest. Expectations on colleges are growing - around skills, employer engagement, flexibility. But not every estate is set up to respond to that. Pretending it is, just delays the inevitable. A strong strategy gives you a clear, evidence-based position on where you’re constrained, where you’re inefficient, and where investment will genuinely move things forward. That’s what gives you credibility with your board and funders.

But none of this matters if it doesn’t change behaviour. Too many strategies get written, approved, and quietly ignored while day-to-day decisions carry on as before. If it’s not shaping what you prioritise, how you phase delivery, and how you respond to opportunities, then it isn’t really a strategy - it’s just a report.

At GenNorth, we try to keep it grounded. Start with where the college is going, not where the estate happens to be today. Be clear on what the estate needs to do to support that.

Then build a plan that is actually deliverable - something that works in live environments, with real constraints, not ideal scenarios and provides the flexibility to adapt to future changes in curriculum need.

Because ultimately, colleges don’t need more documents. They need clarity. Clarity on what matters, what to do next, and confidence that the decisions they’re making now won’t create bigger problems later.

That’s what a good estate strategy should give you.

If your estate strategy isn’t actively shaping decisions, it’s probably time to rethink the approach.

We’re always happy to have a conversation about how to turn strategy into something that genuinely drives delivery.