7 Things Your School Site Team Shouldn’t Do Over the Festive Break (and What to Do Instead)

You know the feeling: the site’s finally quiet, the corridors aren’t full of coats, and you can almost hear the caretaking to-do list whispering “go on… you’ve got time…”

Except Christmas shutdowns have a habit of turning “productive” jobs into January nightmares—because cold, empty, sealed buildings behave differently.

A public-sector insurer (Zurich Municipal) reported burst pipes in schools surged by 185% last December during the deep freeze.

That’s the vibe: small decisions + no one on site + winter conditions = big problems.

Here are seven festive classics to avoid, while keeping the same goal: come back in January with a safe, dry, secure building and a shorter snag list.

1) Deep cleaning carpets and floors

Why it feels right: empty rooms + no footfall = perfect drying time.

Why it goes wrong: wet cleaning adds moisture, and moisture needs heat + airflow to leave the building. Industry guidance notes carpet drying can range from 2 to 24 hours, and drying is improved by ventilation/air movers/heating—none of which happen much in a shut, cold school.

What to do instead (Christmas-safe option):

• Do dry methods only: thorough vacuuming, low-moisture spot treatment, furniture lifts, edging, under-radiator dust removal.
• Save proper wet extraction for a break where you can keep heating and airflow going (often Easter is kinder than Christmas).

Festive translation: If the building’s in “hibernation mode”, don’t introduce a wet carpets.

2) Interior painting (cold walls = heartbreak later)

Why it feels right: no pupils, no fumes complaints, decorators can crack on.

Why it goes wrong: paint manufacturers are blunt about minimum temperatures. Dulux Trade specifications commonly warn not to use water-based paint below 10°C (and also caution about cold surfaces).

Crown Trade product data sheets similarly warn against application if air/substrate temps may fall below 8°C during drying.

What to do instead:

• Use Christmas for prep: fill, sand, wash down, mask, fix snagging, confirm colours, order materials.
• Schedule the actual painting for a warmer break where you can hold temperature for drying.

Festive translation: Painting in a cold school is like icing a cake in the freezer: technically possible, emotionally expensive.

3) Turning the heating off to “save money”

Why it feels right: no one’s there—why heat empty space?

Why it goes wrong: winter doesn’t care about your budget. Zurich’s analysis highlights how quickly freezing conditions can translate into damage—again, 185% surge in burst pipes in schools last December.

What to do instead:

• Set heating to frost protection (and keep water circulating where possible).
• Prioritise vulnerable areas: externals, plant rooms, low points, old wings, rooms with known draughts.
• Add a simple “are we warm enough?” check to your shutdown routine.

Festive translation: Frost protection is not luxury heating. It’s insurance you can feel.

4) Leaving contractors unsupervised (the “it’ll be fine” gamble)

Why it feels right: “They’re professionals—surely they don’t need babysitting.”

Why it goes wrong: holiday works are where small misunderstandings grow legs. UK HSE guidance under CDM 2015 is clear that clients must make suitable arrangements for managing projects, and contractors must plan, manage and monitor their work. In practice, that works best when someone from site is actually checking progress and lock-up.

What to do instead:

• Assign a named “holiday checker” (site manager, SLT, or trusted key-holder).
• Do quick daily walk-rounds: work area tidy, fire doors clear, alarms/cameras unaffected, windows closed, secure lock-up.
• Use a one-page sign-off: what changed today, what’s next, what’s still live.

Festive translation: Contractors without check-ins are like elves without a list. Things get… interpretive.

5) Ambitious grounds work and surfacing (December is not your friend)

Why it feels right: “No PE—finally we can resurface / patch / dig.”

Why it goes wrong: temperature and curing rules matter outdoors. For sports asphalt installation, guidance states laying should not commence below 5°C.

Cold + wet ground also increases the risk of compaction issues and poor outcomes.

What to do instead:

• Use Christmas for surveys, design, quotes, permissions, scheduling, and clearing access.
• Plan the physical works for spring/summer windows where curing and ground conditions behave.

Festive translation: If your tarmac needs a scarf, it’s not the day to lay it.

6) The “while we’re at it…” syndrome (scope creep in a Santa hat)

Why it feels right: two weeks looks huge on a calendar.

Why it goes wrong: deliveries slip, suppliers close, and “quick jobs” reveal hidden issues—then you reopen with half a wall missing and a mysterious pile of ceiling tiles labelled “TEMP”.

What to do instead:

• Apply the one-major-job rule: pick one project that can be completed, tested, cleaned, and signed off before return.
• Everything else becomes: documented, quoted, scheduled—not “started”.

Festive translation: Christmas shutdown is not a renovation advent calendar.

7) Assuming silence equals safety (empty buildings attract problems)

Why it feels right: alarm set, lights off, job done.

Why it goes wrong: insurers routinely warn schools are attractive targets over holiday periods—vandalism, break-ins, theft (including roof metals), smashed windows, stolen laptops.

Meanwhile, leaks and faults can escalate unnoticed for days.

What to do instead:

• Keep a shutdown monitoring routine: brief daily visit or agreed remote checks (heating status, alarms, CCTV, obvious leaks).
• Make sure “energy saving” doesn’t accidentally include disabling security or detection.

Festive translation: The building being quiet doesn’t mean it’s behaving.

The 5-minute Christmas shutdown checklist

Heating

• ☐ Frost protection active; vulnerable zones identified
• ☐ Plant rooms checked; no obvious faults
• ☐ Emergency contact list current

Water

• ☐ Stop-cock location known and accessible
• ☐ Known risk areas checked (old wings, externals, low points)
• ☐ Simple leak plan: who gets called first

Security

• ☐ Alarm set and tested
• ☐ CCTV recording/accessible (where fitted)
• ☐ External doors/gates checked

Contractors (if any)

• ☐ Named school contact for daily check-ins
• ☐ Clear scope + lock-up responsibility agreed
• ☐ End-of-day photo record

Monitoring

• ☐ Daily visit/remote check rota agreed
• ☐ “If you see X, do Y” escalation sheet printed

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