The Government report that has found that Asbestos in schools is a "Serious" problem that could threaten the health of children, has concluded that thousands of schools are failing to follow safety guidelines.
A voluntary survey was sent to schools by the Government between January and March last year, but only a quarter of schools responded. 1/5 of the schools which responded were found to be "not fully compliant" with asbestos procedures, leaving over a million children potentially exposed to dangerous fibres.
In a report published recently by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), found that around 20 per cent of schools were "not fully compliant" with asbestos procedures "in that they did not have fully documented plans, processes and procedures in place at the time of the data collection, or did not know if asbestos was present."
The EFA is part of the Department of Education and oversees funding for all schools, academies and colleges in England.
Also recently, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that "asbestos is a significant, and potentially dangerous, issue in many buildings, including most schools". The NAO report also noted that "the department does not collate information on the number of school buildings affected".
A report on asbestos in schools by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Health and Safety in 2012 recommended that the Government set up programme to remove asbestos from all schools.
It concluded: "It is clear that, at present, there are serious deficiencies in the way that asbestos is managed in schools."
A DofE spokesperson said: "The health and safety of children and staff in our schools is vital – that's why we are investing £23 billion in school buildings by 2021. This will help ensure asbestos is managed safely and that the amount in school buildings continues to reduce over time.
"We have published updated guidance for schools on how to manage asbestos and the results of a survey which showed the majority of respondents have procedures in place. We have followed up with the schools which responded and did not have these procedures in place, and they have all provided assurances they are now compliant with Health and Safety Executive regulations."
