Services – Tree Risk Management & Compliance Support for Schools

Our Approach

At Highwoods, we support schools and academy trusts in managing tree risk in a reasonable, proportionate, and defensible way. Rather than one-off inspections, we provide structured, ongoing compliance support built around governance, clarity, and continuity. This helps you meet duty of care obligations, provide clear records for auditors and inspectors, and make informed, balanced decisions about tree management.

Standard Compliance Service (Recommended)

Annual support | Two-year minimum term | Invoiced annually in advance

Our Standard Compliance Service is the foundation of responsible tree risk management for schools. It combines scheduled inspections with ongoing advisory support to ensure trees are managed in line with duty of care principles and best practice. This service is designed to give you continuity of advice, clarity of action, and reassurance that risk is being managed proportionately.

Service includes:

• Tree inspections conducted once every two years
• Duty of Care Tree Inspection Report (full audit record)
• Compliance Requirements Document (trees requiring action/monitoring)
• Ongoing advisory support by email/phone
• Review of contractor quotations (when requested)
• Support for alternative or complementary risk controls
• Proactive tree health and risk-reduction planning
• Compliance audit trail and reminders

This package builds an understanding of your site over time, reducing unnecessary works and supporting future focused decision making.

One-Off Inspection & Report

(Available on request)

If you need only a one-off inspection and report without ongoing support, this option provides a professional assessment of tree condition and risk at a single point in time. It includes:

• Visual inspection from ground level
• Duty of Care Tree Inspection Report
• Compliance Requirements Document

This is a good choice for short term compliance evidence or one off concerns, but does not include continued advisory support or scheduled follow up.

Compliance Reporting & Contractor Support

Clear documentation is crucial for governance and procurement. We produce:

• Compliance Requirements Documents that set out required works, priorities, and timescales
• Contractor works specifications to support like-for-like quotation
• Support reviewing quotes from tree contractors

These outputs are designed to be defensible, transparent, and usable by non-specialist stakeholders.

Proactive Management & Tree Health Planning

Good risk management anticipates change. Where trees show signs of poor health or increased future risk, we can develop proactive plans that may include:

• Prioritised management notes
• Interim works specifications
• Monitoring schedules
• Planting schemes and soil improvements

This is part of our ongoing compliance model and helps reduce long-term costs and reactive works.

Staff Awareness & Practical Guidance

Trees are part of your site, and staff sightings matter. We offer practical training sessions designed to help school staff understand:

• Their role in observing and reporting risk
• How to interpret basic findings between inspections
• When to seek professional advice

These sessions support effective day-to-day site management without placing inspection responsibilities on school staff.

Our Approach to OPM Management

OPM management is most effective when integrated into ongoing site knowledge and monitoring. Our approach focuses on:

• Identification of oak trees and assessment of exposure risk based on site use
• Monitoring of OPM presence and activity levels
• Clear advice on when intervention is required and when it is not
• Support for proportionate responses aligned with national guidance

Where appropriate, we advise on targeted control measures, restricted access, signage, and changes to site use, helping schools manage risk without unnecessary intervention or cost.

---

Integrated with Ongoing Compliance Support

OPM management is included within our ongoing advisory and inspection support packages, allowing advice to be tailored to the specific characteristics of each site and reviewed year-on-year. This continuity supports:

• Reduced reliance on reactive spraying
• Better targeting of resources to higher-risk areas
• Clear documentation to demonstrate a reasoned and proportionate approach