The Royal Alexandra & Albert School (RAAS) is a co‑educational state boarding school for over 1000 students aged 7 to 18, located at Gatton Park, near Reigate in Surrey. In addition, approximately 250 staff work on the premises with some living on site. The school was founded in 1758 and occupies about 260 acres of beautiful parkland, woods and gardens. Students, external clubs and members of the public take advantage of a range of educational and leisure activities that run during and out of school hours, and across the holiday periods. The site encompasses a range of historic and modern buildings that contain a variety of flooring surfaces both old and new that require protection from dirt and moisture ingress, as well as providing a means to prevent accidents from trips and slips that can occur if floors are wet or muddy.
Domestic Services MRAAS Domestic Services Manager, Elaine Groenewald, says:
“When I joined the school 10 years ago, the matting provider was a large company that faced challenges in consistently meeting the unique requirements of our extensive site. The high staff turnover and DBS clearance processes affected service continuity, and the opportunities for deeper engagement and tailored support were limited.
We invited Sanaway to audit the school for indoor and outdoor matting across the site and to solve the operational issues we were encountering. The company has serviced our site for around 5 years now. There is noticeably less dirt and mud transferred to our floors, particularly during the winter months. The regular servicing keeps the floors looking cleaner and more hygienic, and the mats themselves look clean and fresh which not only maintains a clean environment for our students but creates a good impression for external visitors.
We have a dedicated, DBS checked service technician who is professional, polite, and thorough. At the end of a service visit, he reports what has been done and whether there were any problems encountered during the visit, and why. If there is a staff absence, we have the added reassurance that as all Sanaway staff are registered on the live DBS update service, we can check to confirm the replacement technician is safe to have on-site.
Communication is clear, and we do not have to manage Sanaway. The service runs smoothly and we rarely have to accompany a site visit unless we have requested adjustments to the service. The family run business proves that bigger is not always better. They provide value for money, their indoor and outdoor mats are really good quality, and their standard of service is excellent. They consistently meet our needs and often exceed expectation.”