Practice interviews

Which rooms can the school take?

Update a phased school handover after a room loses its sign-off.

The question

You manage the handover of an occupied school project in England. The school needs four teaching rooms on Monday. The outgoing trade records its work and Quality signs the room record. The school’s facilities lead approves changes to the move list.

Friday handover record
Quality recordSchool move list
A1 and A2SignedConfirmed
A3Open itemExcluded
B1 and B2SignedConfirmed
B3SignedReady reserve

B3 has the same teaching capacity as each planned room. The facilities lead has yet to assign it to a class.

“Give the school a room list it can use to move classes.”

A strong answer, step by step

Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.

Step 1: Define a ready room

What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.

  • Check the signed rooms against the school’s approved move list.

    The strong move. The fit-out record, quality sign-off and classroom allocation answer different questions.

  • Use the trade’s completion note as the confirmed move list.

    Tempting, but it misses something. The trade record does not show quality acceptance or which rooms the school assigned.

See how a strong candidate says it

“I’d match the outgoing trade record and the quality sign-off by room. I would check the school’s move list separately.”

What a strong candidate could say

Why it works: The fit-out record, quality sign-off and classroom allocation answer different questions.

Step 2: Give the starting list

What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.

  • Give four confirmed rooms and identify the ready reserve.

    The strong move. Four rooms can take classes on the baseline plan. The reserve gives the school an option.

  • Report five confirmed rooms because B3 has a signed record.

    Tempting, but it misses something. The school has confirmed four rooms for the move. B3 is signed but has no classroom allocation yet.

See how a strong candidate says it

“A1, A2, B1 and B2 are signed and on the move list. B3 is ready as a reserve. A3 stays off the list while its item is open.”

What a strong candidate could say

Why it works: Four rooms can take classes on the baseline plan. The reserve gives the school an option.

Step 3: Update the room list

Quality withdraws B2’s sign-off after reopening a defect. The fit-out lead owns the open item. B3 remains ready as a reserve.

What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.

  • Report three confirmed rooms and propose B3 as the fourth.

    The strong move. B2 lost its quality sign-off. B3 has the same capacity and still needs the school’s allocation.

  • Keep B2 on the list and tell the outgoing trade to fix the issue after the move.

    Tempting, but it misses something. Quality withdrew the sign-off for B2. Its earlier inclusion no longer supports the move.

See how a strong candidate says it

“B2 comes off the move list. A1, A2 and B1 remain confirmed. I’d ask the facilities lead to approve B3 for the fourth class.”

What a strong candidate could say

Why it works: B2 lost its quality sign-off. B3 has the same capacity and still needs the school’s allocation.

Step 4: Tell each team what changed

What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.

  • Give the school the three rooms and B3 status. Record the B2 owner.

    The strong move. The school needs its usable rooms. The trade and Quality need the open item and the next review.

  • Tell staff to move the fourth class to B3 while waiting for school approval.

    Tempting, but it misses something. B3 is ready, but the school owns the change to the classroom allocation.

See how a strong candidate says it

“I’d send one room list to the school and trade leads. A1, A2 and B1 are confirmed. B3 is pending the school’s decision. The fit-out lead owns the B2 item and Quality needs to sign it again before it can return.”

What a strong candidate could say

Why it works: The school needs its usable rooms. The trade and Quality need the open item and the next review.

The answer, in short

Decision
Take B2 off the move list and ask the school to confirm B3.
Because
Three original rooms retain signed records. The ready reserve can restore the fourth room after allocation.
What would change it
A new signed B2 record or the school’s decision on B3 changes the room list.

Common traps

  • Treating construction completion as school acceptance.
  • Keeping a room after its sign-off is withdrawn.

Check your answer

  • I checked each room record.
  • I kept the classroom allocation separate.
  • I gave the count before and after B3 approval.
  • I named the owner of the reopened item.

Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026