What is the best compliance software for schools and multi-academy trusts?

The best fit depends on your estate and how much hands-on support you want. CalmCompliance suits schools and trusts that want statutory checks, planned maintenance, risk, assets, policies and reporting in one calm, audit-ready system, and, because it is built for facilities and H&S across sectors, it also covers any non-school sites a trust runs.

How do I choose between CalmCompliance and Handsam?

Compare them on scope (statutory checks, planned maintenance, risk, assets, policies, incidents), usability for non-specialist staff, oversight across multiple sites, and total cost including training and onboarding. Ask each vendor to evidence the features that matter most to you. Handsam blends software with hands-on consultancy and audits. CalmCompliance is software-first and self-serve; buyers wanting expert services with their platform may prefer Handsam, while those wanting an easy self-serve tool lean to CalmCompliance.

CalmCompliance vs Handsam

Q: Is CalmCompliance a good alternative to Handsam?

CalmCompliance is a strong alternative to Handsam for organisations that want facilities, compliance and health & safety in one connected, audit-ready system. Handsam blends software with hands-on consultancy and audits. CalmCompliance is software-first and self-serve; buyers wanting expert services with their platform may prefer Handsam, while those wanting an easy self-serve tool lean to CalmCompliance.

Compared on facilities, compliance and health & safety, usability and pricing.

CalmCompliance and Handsam are both compliance operations platform. Handsam blends software with hands-on consultancy and audits. CalmCompliance is software-first and self-serve; buyers wanting expert services with their platform may prefer Handsam, while those wanting an easy self-serve tool lean to CalmCompliance. For schools and trusts that want one calm, audit-ready system, covering any non-school sites they run too, with transparent pricing, CalmCompliance is the stronger fit; Handsam leads when you specifically need you want hands-on consultancy, audits and fire-risk services bundled in..

Built for education too: as well as serving care, construction, manufacturing, leisure and facilities, CalmCompliance covers the school estate, statutory checks, planned maintenance, policies and oversight across every site a trust runs.

At a glance

CalmCompliance vs Handsam

CalmCompliance

CalmCompliance is a compliance operations platform that brings facilities, compliance and health & safety into one connected system. Premises and assets, planned and reactive work, policies, risk, training and incidents live across three layers: Operate, Govern and Manage, with a Standards capstone that proves you are meeting the bar, site by site.

Best for

Any organisation that has to operate safe premises and prove it across care, construction, manufacturing, leisure, facilities management, charities and education that wants statutory compliance, premises/estates, H&S, training and incidents in one system.

One connected system for facilities, compliance and health & safety: not a single-purpose toolAudit-ready evidence trail by default, assembled as the work happensWorks across sectors: care, construction, manufacturing, leisure, facilities, charities and education

Handsam

Education compliance, H&S, estates compliance, audits, fire safety, visits, guidance, software and training: more service-led, but competing for the same school/MAT buyer.

Known for

Service-led (audits, consultancy)Fire safety expertise500+ guidesAccredited training

Feature comparison

How CalmCompliance and Handsam compare

CalmCompliance confirms 1 capability Handsamdoesn’t.

Feature	CalmCompliance	Handsam
Compliance & statutory
Statutory checks & scheduled tasksPre-built statutory check schedules with reminders and escalation.	Yes	Yes
RAG compliance dashboardsRed/amber/green status across a school or trust.	Yes	Partial / add-on
Risk register & assessmentsRisk register, heatmaps and review-date tracking.	Yes	Yes
Incident & accident reportingLog incidents/accidents with RIDDOR flagging.	Yes	Yes
Policy managementStore, version and acknowledge policies.	Yes	Yes
Audit-ready evidence trailTime-stamped, exportable evidence for inspections.	Yes	Yes
Estates & premises (PPM)
Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)Schedule and track PPM tasks and contractor servicing.	Yes	Partial / add-on
Asset managementAsset register, lifecycle, depreciation and renewals.	Yes	Partial / add-on
Helpdesk / reactive ticketsLog, assign and track reactive maintenance jobs.	Yes	Partial / add-on
Contract managementContract register with renewal alerts.	Yes	Not confirmed
DfE GEMS alignedAligned to Good Estate Management for Schools.	Yes	Yes
Capital / project planningCondition surveys, costings and capital planning.	Partial / add-on	Not confirmed
Platform & usability
Multi-academy trust oversightTrust-wide rollups and per-school drill-down.	Yes	Yes
Mobile app / on-the-go recordingRecord checks and jobs from a phone or tablet.	Yes	Not confirmed
QR code requestsQR codes for quick fault/issue reporting.	Yes	Not confirmed
Document managementCentral document store with certificates.	Yes	Yes
Designed for non-specialist staffLow-training interface for busy school staff.	Yes	Partial / add-on
Training, support & commercials
Built-in eLearning / CPDAccredited training courses inside the platform.	Partial / add-on	Yes
Hands-on onboarding & migrationSupported data migration and setup.	Yes	Yes
No per-staff training feesStaff training included, not charged per head.	Yes	Not confirmed
Transparent / published pricingPricing available without a sales call.	Yes	No
UK-based supportUK support team.	Yes	Yes

Comparison based on each provider’s public information, last reviewed 10 August 2026. Features marked “Not confirmed” could not be verified from public sources. Handsam is a trademark of its respective owner.

Weighing it up