Dozens of Scottish schools fitted with Grenfell cladding
The type of material which caused the Grenfell tragedy has been used in the cladding of 44 schools across Scotland it has emerged.
And a further 31 schools in Glasgow alone contain Aluminium Composite material (ACM) in parts of their exterior.
The material can be used safely in low rise buildings like schools, provided that safety regulations have been properly followed. This is now being checked by officials across the country, the Scottish Government says.
ACM is only banned in high rise blocks of flats, similar to Grenfell Tower in London where 80 people died in a blaze last month.
Fourteen schools in Scotland have confirmed that ACM has been used in cladding systems on more than 40 buildings which account for 1.7 per cent of the school estate. Checks are now being carried out by council officials and fire and rescue chiefs to ensure they comply with regulations.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Local authorities are responsible for ensuring the safety of school buildings in their areas – and if there is a need to inform parents and pupils on any aspect of school safety it is for the council to do so.
“Schools across Scotland are currently closed for summer holidays and all checks being carried out are precautionary to ensure building materials have been correctly used.”
Officials in Glasgow also said that 31 schools have ACM as a finishing material on the building itself, but say this accounts for less than 0.1 per cent of the exterior fabric of the buildings.
In addition, the city’s Notre Dame Primary has it as part of the fabric.
A Glasgow City council spokesman said: “We have stringent fire safety standards in our schools. The combination of fire detection and suppression systems, firedrills and fire evacuation procedures provide a high standard of fire safety.
“The amount of ACM building material used is minimal; it is in a small number of schools and its use is compliant with safety regulations.”
The Scottish Government initially refused to identify the individual councils involved after revealing fourteen areas had schools which had ACM cladding, but released a full list after criticism from opposition parties.
Of the 44 schools affected, there are 16 in Dumfries and Galloway, with further checks being undertaken in the area. There are six apiece in East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. South Ayrshire andinverclydeeachhavethree and Angus has two. Aberdeen, Argyll and Bute, Edinburgh, Dundee, North Lanarkshire, Shetland and South Lanarkshire, along with Glasgow all have one.
scott.macnab@scotsman.com