MP calls for review of school building inspections

An MP has called for a review of government guidance on school inspections after signs of unsafe ceilings were missed during routine surveys.

Fifteen schools in Norfolk have ceilings in need of urgent repair and dozens of others have been checked for potential issues.

Penny Carpenter, Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for children's services, said visual inspections, as laid out by the Department for Education (DfE), did not include lifting suspended ceiling tiles to check older structures underneath.

Alice Macdonald, the MP for Norwich North, told the BBC: "When problems and issues emerge it's important that you review the guidelines to make sure that they are addressing those issues."

She added: "Clearly something has gone wrong that this wasn't identified. It is worth asking the [DfE] to review the guidelines, and look at whether they are doing what they need to do.

"I want to look at whether the regulations fit for purpose, are they being properly adhered to in different areas across the country."

The 60 schools in the county that were checked for potentially unsafe ceilings were old buildings constructed using lath and plaster, which can crack and collapse if damaged.

The authority said it was spending more than £100,000 on replacing the ceilings with a different material and had informed the DfE.

All schools remained open and had "appropriate measures in place to ensure a safe and effective learning environment", the council added.

Macdonald said it was important to keep the state of school buildings in the spotlight, including problems caused by the historical use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and ongoing issues with the previous government's school rebuilding programme.

She raised the issue of school ceilings in Parliament on 10 October to "get it firmly on the radar of ministers and to see if we can have a more in-depth conversation about it".

"I hope to have follow-up conversations with the minister to see if we can get a broader debate in parliament," she said.

"I will keep up the pressure, along with other MPs in Norfolk, and councillors who I know have been pushing quite hard with the county council on this."

The DfE previously said it was liaising with the county council for updates and there was "no evidence of there being systematic issues with lath and plaster".

"Departmental officials have regular discussions with relevant professional bodies and leading material specialists to share information on any emerging evidence regarding the safety of construction materials across all building types," a spokesperson added.

The DfE has been contacted for comment regarding a review of the inspection criteria.