Just outside the centre of Leeds, you'll find Bankside Primary School, a warm, welcoming school set at the heart of their community. With their filing system consisting of an out-of-date spreadsheet and 60+ bulky files, they really needed an upgrade to keep on top of all their documents, especially for maintenance checks.
When word of mouth from a nearby school referred their experienced Estates Manager, Paula O'Malley, to us, all the pieces started falling into place. Here's what Paula has to say about us and how we've solved many of the schools' compliance problems.
Please provide a brief overview of your background and role as Estates Manager at Bankside Primary School.
I have been at Bankside Primary, a large three-form entry school, for two and a half years, and prior to that, I was a School Business Manager at a much smaller, one-form entry school for sixteen years. We then joined and formed a federation with two other schools, and I was responsible for the maintenance, checks, and health and safety of all three schools.
You’ve been using iAM Compliant since 2022. Before this, how were you previously managing compliance and estates at Bankside Primary School?
I inherited a basic and out-of-date spreadsheet and sixty-plus A4 lever arch files that went back 15 years. I managed on a very basic, but informed and experienced level, using the knowledge I already had from my previous role. It was a very different school with some aspects I was not familiar with, for example, a lift. Working at height equipment and a much more complex boiler room.
What was your initial reason for looking into a Compliance Management software provider? What made you choose iAM Compliant?
There was a change in headteachers and a huge need to get everything up to date and organised. We needed to get systems in place to manage the school effectively and efficiently. Another primary school nearby was using iAM Compliant, and after meeting with them and having a look at the tool, we decided it was definitely what we needed. I was very impressed with iAM Compliant. A comprehensive framework from someone who obviously had actually worked in a school environment.
Are there any particular challenges you are currently facing in your estates management and compliance? How does iAM Compliant support you in overcoming these?
Keeping on top of the maintenance checks and inspections that need to be done on a daily basis is a mammoth job. Once I had put all the jobs that needed doing on to iAM Compliant, the software produced a daily list for me to go through and tick off. One challenge I have is if the job doesn’t get done for whatever reason. The support people are fantastic and come back to me very quickly with the answers I need and how to tackle the issues I have. In particular, I found it a challenge to keep up, doing the checks every day and feeling like it reflects badly if they are not done and then not recorded when they should be. I am working on this and realised - hey, life isn’t perfect, and we get a lot of different challenges that sometimes get in the way. It’s okay! I can record things later and move jobs around - perfect!
How have you found the access to support from iAM Compliant? (e.g Helpdesk tickets or Customer Delight sessions)
They are so responsive, knowledgeable and patient! I was really impressed with their monitoring of my usage, realising I was struggling and reaching out to me (I hate that phrase, but that's what they did!) Also, if they didn’t know the answers, they went away and found a solution for me. Just brilliant!
What impact has iAM Compliant’s training library had at Bankside Primary School? Are there any particular collections that you’ve found beneficial?
We are just getting going on this still - but with Health and Safety audits, Ofsted, and Fire plans, they are a very quick win and efficient way to get staff on the training and trained up. In particular, the legionella awareness training is a requirement for the latest risk assessment review - and bam! Done!
How have staff at Bankside Primary School received and adopted iAM Compliant?
Overall they have embraced it and use it daily. At the end of my email signature, I have notes reminding them to report things on iAM Compliant and a video link to show how to do it. They like it because they can log a job quickly, it's a job off their list, and they know they have sent it to me. There is also an audit trail created of when it was reported, which I like.
How would you describe iAM Compliant in 3 words?
Comprehensive, efficient, tailormade
In 2025, what are you most looking forward to using the tool for?
Fine-tuning and adding in costs and reviews, and using the send to contractor button more - brilliant feature. Adding policies on and using all areas of iAM Compliant.
Please provide a quote of your overall experience using iAM Compliant.
I have found iAM Compliant the most effective piece of software to get to grips with managing all aspects of estates management. It’s a one-stop shop, whatever the size of school or staffing numbers.
We're delighted with the feedback from Bankside Primary School.
Ready to try out iAM Compliant for yourself? Try it for free and see the core features of our comprehensive compliance management tool now.