Fifth of schools not managing asbestos well

The Department for Education has published its asbestos management assurance process report, and revealed that nearly a fifth of schools are not managing asbestos in line with government guidance.

Based on an extensive survey of schools, the survey confirms that over 80 per cent of participating schools have asbestos somewhere on their site, although this could rise to 83.5 per cent if all schools that haven’t yet responded to the survey also turn out to have the material. Participation in the survey was not a legal requirement.

Responses from 3,485 of the 19,522 schools that participated in the survey believe that their practice is ‘not in line’ with the government’s guidance on managing asbestos in schools, which was published in 2017. The survey also shows that 18,846 schools, or 96.9 per cent, of those participating, were found to be ‘broadly managing asbestos in line with regulatory requirements’, meaning they have an asbestos register and an asbestos management plan.