Written by Chris Earley Founder, Perth Eco Clean
Chris Earley founded Perth Eco Clean in 2018 to give Perth homes and businesses a genuinely eco-friendly alternative to conventional cleaning. He holds multiple industry certifications including BSCAA and RapidClean accreditations across office cleaning, carpet cleaning, chemical handling, and infectious cleaning in commercial settings.
Key Takeaways
- Screening requirements depend on how the work is structured rather than on job title, so establish early whether the people on your site need a Working with Children Check and get it written into the contract.
- Ask who physically attends. A quote from one company can be delivered by a subcontractor you have never assessed.
- The gap between two very different quotes is usually hours on site or scope exclusions, not efficiency. Ask both bidders to price the same task schedule.
Appointing a cleaning contractor for a school is not the same as appointing one for an office. The site has children on it, the compliance obligations sit with you rather than the contractor, and the consequences of getting it wrong range from a difficult conversation with parents to a genuine child safety failure. It is also a decision that tends to get made under time pressure, often when an existing contract is ending. This guide sets out what to verify, what to ask, and where quotes hide the differences that matter, whether or not you end up talking to us about school cleaning in Perth.
Why School Cleaning Is a Different Procurement Decision
Three things separate it from ordinary commercial cleaning.
The first is access. Cleaners move through classrooms, staff areas, sick bays, and toilets, often outside normal supervision. That is a level of access you would not grant casually to any other supplier.
The second is where the liability sits. If an inadequately screened person is on your site, the questions are directed at the school, not at the cleaning company. Verification is your responsibility to complete, not simply to request.
The third is product exposure. Students spend six hours a day in rooms that were chemically treated the night before, and a meaningful proportion of them have asthma or respiratory sensitivity. Product choice is a duty of care question rather than a preference.
None of that means the process has to be onerous. It does mean a few specific things need to be confirmed in writing before anyone starts.
The Checks and Documentation to Ask For
Working with Children Checks and Police Clearances
Under the WA Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act, the test is whether a role constitutes child-related work, which turns on the nature of contact with students rather than on the job title. Cleaning carried out while students are present generally falls within it. After-hours cleaning is less clear-cut, though Department of Education guidance notes that contractors who attend frequently enough to become known to students and staff may require a check on that basis. Catholic education guidance in Western Australia lists school cleaners as requiring one.
The practical position for most schools is straightforward. Decide the standard you want applied, require it of every person who will attend site, and verify currency yourself rather than accepting an assurance. Independent schools set their own thresholds and many require checks regardless of scheduling.
Alongside that, ask for a current National Police Certificate for each person on site. Build both into the contract, including an obligation to notify you of any change and to provide checks for replacement staff before their first shift.
Insurance and Certificates of Currency
Request a certificate of currency for public liability insurance and confirm the cover level meets whatever your school or system requires. Request evidence of workers compensation cover as well, since anyone injured on your site without it becomes your problem.
Certificates expire. Note the renewal date and ask for the updated certificate when it comes around rather than discovering the lapse after an incident.
Safety Data Sheets for Every Product
Under WHS requirements, Safety Data Sheets must be available for hazardous chemicals used on site. Ask for the full product list and the corresponding sheets before work starts, not after.
This is also the point at which product claims get tested. Any contractor can describe their products as safe or eco-friendly in a proposal. The sheets tell you what is actually being used in your classrooms.
Who Actually Turns Up on Site
Ask directly whether the work is subcontracted. Plenty of cleaning companies win contracts and pass delivery to another operator, which means the screening, insurance, and training you assessed may belong to a business that is not the one attending.
Ask how many people will be on site, whether it will be the same people each visit, and what the process is when someone is unwell. Consistency of staff is the single best predictor of whether standards hold after the first month.
A Written Scope, Not a Verbal Understanding
Get a task schedule that specifies what is done daily, weekly, and periodically, area by area. Vague scopes are where disputes come from, and where the difference between two quotes usually hides.
Be explicit about what is excluded. Windows, carpet extraction, hard floor treatment, and end of term deep cleans are commonly outside a standard schedule and priced separately.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign
- What is your staff turnover, and will we see the same team? High turnover means constant re-induction and inconsistent standards.
- How do you check quality, and how often? Ask whether a supervisor inspects the site and what happens with the findings.
- How do we raise something that has been missed? You want a named contact and a response timeframe, not a general enquiries address.
- How do you handle term breaks and public holidays? Confirm whether the fee changes and what work is done in the gaps.
- What happens if a cleaner is sick? A replacement without current screening should never be the answer.
- Can we speak to two other schools you work with? References from schools specifically, not from offices or retail sites.
- What is not included in this price? The most useful question on the list and the one least often asked.
- How do you invoice, and what documentation comes with it? Your finance team will care about this even if you do not.
When It Is Worth Reviewing Your Current Contract
Most schools do not go to market until the contract ends. These are reasonable reasons to look sooner:
- Standards have visibly dropped since the first few months
- You are seeing a different person on site most weeks
- Staff or parents have raised concerns about chemical smells in classrooms
- You cannot readily produce current screening or insurance documentation for the people attending
- The scope has drifted and nobody is certain what is meant to be included
- The site has changed, through a new building, more students, or altered hours
Perth Eco Clean’s School Cleaning Approach
- Non-toxic products. Biodegradable, plant-based solutions selected to be safe around students and staff, with Safety Data Sheets provided for everything used on site.
- Certified team. BSCAA and RapidClean certifications including chemical handling and infectious cleaning in commercial settings, which is directly relevant to classrooms, toilets, and sick bays.
- Insured and police-cleared. Full public liability cover and police clearances, with documentation available on request.
- Transparent pricing. A written task schedule and a clear quote, so you know what is included before you commit and what it costs to add anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cleaners in WA schools need a Working with Children Check?
It depends on whether the work meets the definition of child-related work, which turns on contact with students rather than job title. Cleaning while students are present generally does. Many schools require checks for all cleaning staff regardless of scheduling as a matter of policy, and Department of Education guidance notes that regular attendance alone can trigger the requirement.
What insurance should a school cleaning contractor hold?
Public liability at a level that satisfies your school or system requirements, plus workers compensation for their staff. Ask for certificates of currency rather than a statement in the proposal.
Should cleaning happen during school hours or after?
After hours reduces disruption and contact with students, which simplifies several things at once. Some tasks still need to happen during the day, so agree which ones and who is screened to do them.
How do we compare quotes that look very different?
Give every bidder the same task schedule and ask them to price it, then compare hours on site rather than the headline figure. A large gap almost always reflects fewer hours or a narrower scope rather than better efficiency.
Perth Eco Clean can help with School Cleaning
The schools that get this right tend to do the same few things: they decide the screening standard themselves rather than accepting whatever is offered, they verify documentation instead of requesting it, and they insist on a written task schedule so that everyone knows what has been agreed. That work happens before the contract is signed, and it is what prevents the slow decline in standards that so many schools describe after the first few months.
Perth Eco Clean provides eco-friendly school cleaning across the Perth Metro area. Call 0459 544 876 or get in touch to discuss your site.