Top marks in cleaning for West Thames College

Having large groups of people in one place makes hygiene in the educational sector critical, as germs can easily spread when people are in close proximity. As with all public buildings, the first impression in schools can make all the difference, helping to attract new students and recruit and retain the best staff, as well as encouraging all building users to strive for high standards and facilitate teaching and learning in optimal conditions. 

West Thames College is a successful further and higher education establishment with two sites based in West London. Over 6,500 students from many different backgrounds, including those with special needs, attend this friendly and vibrant college, alongside 350 staff.

The facilities comprise modern state-of-the-art buildings as well as an historic Grade II listed building. At the heart of the main Isleworth campus is the elegant Spring Grove House, originally home to the famous botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The house was considerably extended by Andrew Pears of the Pears Soap family in the late 19th century. As such, this requires a unique approach to cleaning – maintaining the new-built look of the modern parts of the campus, and preserving the great heritage of the grade II listed building.

Cleaning contractor Julius Rutherfoord began working with the college in 2009 at a time when the campus was undergoing a complete rebuild. As each building stage was completed, cleaning requirements changed and the service developed, tailored to each stage of the rebuild.

James Bennett, Operations Director at Julius Rutherfoord, said: “We pride ourselves on going the extra mile for clients, and assisted with the clearance of old buildings and undertaking final builder’s cleans, getting the college ready for the first day of term. We provided extra staffing and resources in order that building works would be finished on time and have been very flexible in supporting the changes to the campus, adjusting staffing as required and amending the specification in line with on-going changes.”

The campus was completely rebuilt between 2009-2012. Its facilities now rank amongst the best colleges in London. Opened in September 2011, the Sir Joseph Banks building includes science labs, a TV studio, a 140-seat theatre, student common rooms and canteen, media, dance and music studios, and much more. The outdoor areas are landscaped with lawns and sports pitches.

In preparation for the transition from ‘old’ to ‘new,’ Julius Rutherfoord undertook British Institute of Cleaning Science approved on-site training, up-skilling staff to effectively protect and maintain the different fabrics within the new and old buildings. All cleaning operatives are re-trained every six months on key issues, including health and safety, site specific requirements and new and existing cleaning methods.

Services provided by Julius Rutherfoord include daily cleaning and periodic deep cleans during non-term, as well as additional services such as a bespoke window cleaning and grounds maintenance. Challenges also include cleaning a variety of environments, including hair and beauty studios which are open to the general public; a glass atrium; a full-sized theatre and a forensics crime scene studio.

To preserve and maintain the fabric of the new building, a number of innovative cleaning methods have been introduced. For example, the Twister™ modern cleaning system, which consists of floor pads prepared with millions of microscopic diamonds, is used to clean and polish floors mechanically, rather than using chemicals. This technology can be used on most hard floor surfaces including terrazzo, vinyl, natural stone and concrete, leaving college floors gleaming.

Security is essential within the school environment. While some organisations settle for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks – which replaced CRB checks – these are useless if the ID in question is fake because fictitious people will not appear on criminal records. When recruiting staff, Julius Rutherfoord uses similar passport and identity document scanning technology to that used by Customs personnel at international airports. Every passport and ID document is scanned to check its authenticity against an international database in the Netherlands which holds the details of passports and other forms of ID from over 200 countries. This technology enables fake passports or ID documents to be identified in seconds.

In addition, staff sign in and out with a short phone call, from a dedicated line within the college’s premises that is linked automatically to Julius Rutherfoord’s time and attendance system. They have two ways to check who’s making the call – caller ID to check where they’re calling from, and a unique pin code they must enter. The system also guarantees that the college get the exact level of service they have paid for.

As a result of Julius Rutherfoord’s hard word, the second site, Feltham Skills Centre – which has purpose built workshops for construction trade skills and a professional training kitchen for catering students – has now been awarded to the cleaning provider in a recent re-tender. The contract cleaner has also been re-awarded the main site contract for a second term, having won a very competitive tender process, and the contract was shortlisted for a Golden Service Award 2013 for the ‘Best Cleaned Large Educational Establishment.’

For more information on Julius Rutherfoord’s services call 020 7819 6700,

email sales@julius-r.co.uk or visit www.julius-r.co.uk

Published in Building4Education – March 2014