The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Grenfell-type cladding found on three schools
Councils claim all the affected buildings are safe
Pupils in schools in Dundee and Angus finished the term in buildings covered in the same cladding thought to have contributed to the Grenfell Tower blaze.
Almost one quarter of the cl adding covering the walls of St Paul’s RC Academy is constructed from the material Reynobond PE.
The same material made up a composite of the panels that clad the exterior of the London tower block.
The panels have also been used on “very small areas” of two Angus primary schools – Timmergreens and Warddykes.
Reynobond PE panels were discontinued following the fire that claimed the lives of at least 80 people on June 14.
The panels are fully compliant with building regulations in Scotland, according to Dundee City Council.
There is no word at this stage on whether the materials will be removed from the school.
Lochee Labour councillor Michael Marra said he contacted the council to enquire if any local schools used the cladding following an announcement from the Scottish Government said schools in Scotland were covered in the material.
He said: “The education department has given me full assurances that the building meets all regulations and is safe.
“The regulations say cladding can be used on buildings under one storey and St Paul’s has a sprinkler system installed.
“I have asked the council to contact all parents to give assurances about safety and the education department has said they will get in touch.
“The second thing is that the Scottish Government has mishandled this situation. They should have been open and clear, but were refusing to give information earlier in the day.
“We need full transparency about these kinds of materials – that’s the lesson to be learned from the terrible tragedy of Grenfell.”
On Thursday the Scottish Government noted that schools in 14 local authorities were clad in aluminium composite material (ACM), but refused to offer further information.
Then, following a series of leaks, it released fresh details identifying the local authorities affected.
No schools are affected in Fife or Perth and Kinross.
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “St Paul’s Academy has Reynobond PE cladding on approximately 24% of the external wall area of the building.
“The cladding system fully complies with the requirements of the current building regulations.
“In addition, the school has a fully compliant sprinkler system.”
A spokesman for Angus Council said: “During our review, we identified that a cladding system containing Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) has been used in very small areas in two of our primary schools – Timmergreens Primary School and Warddykes Primary School.
“Effectively, the cladding is for decorative, feature purposes around entrance areas only and covers less than 5% of the external wall finish in each school.
The Scottish Government said checks were being carried out by local authorities and Scottish Fire and Rescue to ensure all panels have been fitted in accordance with building regulations.