The School Estate Management Standards Annual Return
Guidance, tools and templates for schools and responsible bodies. Everything you need to prepare in one place.
Helping you get ready for the SEMs 2026 Annual Return
The first SEMS Annual Return is putting a new focus on how schools and responsible bodies manage their estates, from statutory compliance and condition information to contractor checks and estate records. The submission window opens in the third week of September 2026, with the final deadline due in late November 2026.
Whether you are preparing information for your school or coordinating the return across a trust, local authority or diocese, NASPM can help you understand what you need, identify any gaps and decide what to tackle first. Start with our free 5-minute SEMS Readiness Check – just click the link below or browse the guidance below
Key Facts
Submissions open
w/c 14th September 2026
Deadline
Late November 2026
Who submits?
Responsible Bodies – LAs, MATs, Dioceses, SATs.
Time to complete?
c. 1 hour
The return is submitted by responsible bodies. What you need to do depends on which you are.
I work in a school
Your responsible body will submit the return on your behalf, but you will be asked to supply the site level data behind most of the answers. Our guide sets out what will be requested, what comes from you, and how to prepare.
We submit the return
For single academy trusts, multi-academy trusts, dioceses and local authorities. Our complete guide covers all 28 questions, how the levels are assessed, and how to divide the work across colleagues.
Not sure which applies to you? If your school is part of a single academy trust, the trust is your responsible body and the return will be completed within your own organisation. If your school is voluntary aided and part of a diocese, the diocese submits. If you are unsure, start with the guidance for schools.
Readiness self-check
Five questions covering your compliance records, estate information, condition surveys, contractor checks and coordination with your responsible body. It takes around five minutes.
You will receive an assessment of your current position, an explanation of where the gaps are, and our guide on preparing for the return.
No cost. Available to members and non-members.
Guidance and tools
Practical resources covering what the return asks and what you need to have ready. Available to download for all members.
Your Part in the SEMS Annual Return
For schools and other education settings. This is what your responsible body will ask you for, the estate records to have in place, and a checklist to complete and send them.
The Complete Guide to the SEMS Annual Return
For responsible bodies. Includes all six sections that are covered and all 28 questions; how the levels are assessed and what happens after submission.
The Response Planner
For responsible bodies. A workbook to divide the return across colleagues and record the evidence for every answer.
Frequently asked questions
These are the questions we are asked most often, click on the question to reveal the answer. Our dedicated FAQ page covers the return in more detail.
Does my school need to submit the return?
No. The return is submitted by school responsible bodies that are eligible for annual DfE capital funding. This includes local authorities, sixth-form colleges, multi-academy and single-academy trusts, and dioceses. Individual schools, nurseries and other educational environments do not submit.
You will, however, be asked to supply information. Most of the answers depend on records held at site level, so your responsible body will need your input. If your school is part of a single academy trust, the trust is your responsible body and the return will be completed within your own organisation.
When does the submission window open and close?
Submissions open in the third week of September 2026, with a deadline in late November 2026. The return itself takes around an hour to complete, although gathering the information behind the answers takes considerably longer.
If your organisation cannot submit before the deadline, a late return can still be made by raising a service query with DfE.
What happens if we do not meet the standards?
The return currently carries no penalty, and it does not affect the funding your organisation receives from DfE. Where support is needed, DfE will work with organisations through peer support, training and other non-financial support.
DfE expects all responsible bodies to work towards level 3, and does not expect organisations to be at that level already. The return is a baseline assessment, and an accurate submission produces a more useful result than an optimistic one.
Who in our organisation should complete it?
The return must be submitted by someone in a senior estate management role. It can be completed in two ways: different colleagues completing the sections relevant to their role, or one senior person completing all sections and consulting colleagues where needed.
Returns are submitted through the Manage your education estate service, accessed using DfE Sign-in. Access requires a DfE Sign-in account, your responsible body added to that account, and the service added to your organisation. This is worth arranging asap rather than during the submission window.
What information will we need to provide?
The return contains 28 multiple choice questions across six areas:
- Strategic estate management, 6 questions
- Planning and organising your estate resources, 11 questions
- Understanding and managing your land and buildings, 7 questions
- Maintaining your estate, 2 questions
- Sustainability, 1 question
- Digital technology, 1 question
No documents are uploaded, so the answers rely entirely on information your organisation can provide. In practice this means your statutory compliance records, the date of your last condition survey, your estate information, and evidence of the checks you carry out on contractors.
Live Webinars
For schools and settings
A walkthrough of what your responsible body will need from you and how to prepare, with time for questions.
FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2-3PM
For responsible bodies
A practical walkthrough of the return for the those completing and submitting it.
FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 1-2 PM
Support Beyond the Return
The annual return reflects how an estate is managed across the year. NASPM membership gives premises teams and school leaders the resources to manage it well: including access to our Resource Hub of templates and records, over 30 discounted live training courses, monthly legislation updates and email access to experienced premises professionals.