About BACA & PACA
Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA), formerly Falmer High School, is a co-educational school for 11-18 year olds. Based in the heart of the Mile Oak Community in Portslade, Brighton. The school closed in 2010 and was replaced by academy status as PACA with the Aldridge Foundation.
PACA merged with Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA). BACA is a vibrant 11-18 all-inclusive secondary school and college located in Brighton. The two schools, approximately 8 miles apart from each other, wanted to consolidate cleaning services to one supplier to gain efficiencies both financially and operationally.
The Nviro relationship
In 2006, following a successful tender process Nviro began working with PACA. PACA and BACA jointly retendered their cleaning requirements in 2015, Nviro retained PACA and were awarded BACA. This further strengthened Nviro within Brighton and the Aldridge Foundation. BACA and PACA are managed by a dedicated Contract Manager, supported by Site Supervisors at both campuses. The cleaning routine at both schools is split into morning and evening cleaning in either three or four hour shifts.
Innovation and Progression
Since the start of the contract a variety of innovations have been introduced to help achieve an environment where building users can thrive at BACA and PACA.
i-mop:
An i-mop was introduced at BACA for daily use in the toilet areas and science rooms to replace traditional mopping. By investing in this piece of equipment with the advanced technology of the i-mop’s ability to wash, scrub and utilise the suction system, the area is left instantly dry and safe without the need for wet floor signs.
FIMAP Ride On Scrubber Dryer:
A Fimap ride on scrubber drier is an important part of the cleaning routine at BACA. With this piece of equipment, Nviro is able to complete tasks in an efficient and effective way. Resulting in higher productivity and better results in the large open plan corridors and entrance foyer.
Unger Stingray:
The Unger Stingray was introduced at BACA due to the large amount of internal glazing around the school. Using the Unger Stingray on site has allowed Nviro to maintain the highest finish at all times. The versatility of this equipment to clean low but also high with difficult to clean and maintain areas makes the Unger Stingray the perfect glass cleaning solution at BACA.
Investment in Staff
“We look after our people, so that they look after the customers” is a popular phrase at Nviro and is key to the ethos of the company. We worked round PACA’s budgetary restrictions, recommending reductions in cleaning specifications to ensure pay increases for the cleaning team. This enabled us to maintain differential between the National Living Wage and cleaners’ pay rates and continue to attract a high calibre cleaning team.
Why we SHINE
“Having great communication with Nviro has allowed when needed for minor changes in timetabling to accommodate to fit around the schools’ requirements which has run very smoothly. It’s been a pleasure working with the on-site cleaning staff, through to senior management.”