School safety post-Grenfell


Delegates at the TUC’s annual congress earlier this month unanimously backed calls for an urgent audit of all school buildings in the wake of the fatal Grenfell Tower fire in June. 


Education unions put forward a motion calling for a review of school safety regulations to require sprinkler systems in all new and refurbished schools, safe compartmentalisation, and cladding of limited combustibility. It called on the government to undertake the audit to determine whether school buildings meet fire safety regulations and whether they contain cladding similar to the type used on the Grenfell Tower, with an action plan to appropriately and safely deal with the issues identified through fire safety audits. 


The motion also called for asbestos audits and renewed the trade unions’ demand for a phased removal of all asbestos in schools, starting with the most dangerous.

https://congress.tuc.org.uk/05-school-buildings-safety