The duty to manage in schools
The duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises applies to schools, nurseries and colleges. The duty holder depends on the type of school: for maintained schools this is generally the local authority or the governing body depending on arrangements, and for academies it is usually the academy trust. The Department for Education publishes guidance on asbestos management in schools, and expects each school to have an asbestos register and management plan, to share it with contractors and to keep it under review.
Asbestos in good condition and left undisturbed is not a danger. The risk in schools is the combination of damage and activity: pupils kicking or leaning against boards, pinning displays, or maintenance staff drilling into walls and ceilings without checking the register first.
Schools in Merseyside range from Victorian board schools to system-built blocks of the 1960s and 1970s, often with later extensions. Each block should be assessed on its own age and materials.
Where it is typically found
In schools of the 1950s to 1980s, common materials include asbestos insulating board in ceiling tiles, partitions, window panels, door linings and fire doors, textured coatings, vinyl floor tiles, lagging in boiler houses and pipe runs, cement roofing to sheds and covered ways, and gaskets and flues in older heating plant. Prefabricated and system-built blocks can have particular materials throughout.
The surveyor will inspect classrooms, halls, corridors, kitchens, plant rooms, stores, roof voids and external structures, and record every material with a condition and risk assessment.
Working around the school day
Surveys in schools are normally scheduled outside teaching hours, in holidays, on inset days or at weekends, depending on the building, to avoid any disturbance to pupils. For refurbishment and demolition surveys, the area being surveyed should be vacated, with signs and barriers in place. Please tell us your term dates and any access restrictions, such as safeguarding or alarm procedures, when you enquire.
Re-inspections and pre-works surveys
A school with an existing register should re-inspect at a suitable interval, commonly around annually. Before any building work, from a classroom refit to a new heating system or new data cabling, the affected area needs a refurbishment and demolition survey. Schools are also prime candidates for rolling portfolio surveys across a trust's estate, so that every building is covered by the same standard of report.
