Asbestos Surveys for Schools & Educational Settings

Asbestos Surveys for Education

If you are responsible for a school, college, further education campus or specialist educational setting built before 2000, you have a legal duty to manage any asbestos that may be present. At HSG Asbestos Surveys, we work with headteachers, bursars, facilities managers, local authority estates teams, and multi-academy trust property leads across the North of England to provide clear, straightforward asbestos surveys that help you stay compliant and keep pupils, students and staff safe. Whether you manage a single school building or a portfolio of educational sites, we can help. We keep things simple, we turn surveys around quickly, and we give you a report you can actually understand

Free quotes available. Call us: 01274 959994 / 07703 203930 / 07711 855891

Asbestos in Educational Buildings

Asbestos was widely used in school construction and refurbishment right up until it was banned in 1999. Many primary schools, secondary schools, FE colleges and specialist education settings built or extended during the post-war decades contain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that can be easy to overlook, including:

• Ceiling tiles and suspended ceiling systems in classrooms and corridors
• Textured coatings and spray insulation on walls and ceilings
• Insulation boards around service ducts, boiler rooms and pipework
• Roof sheeting and soffit panels on older buildings and outbuildings
• Floor tiles and bitumen adhesives beneath current floor coverings
• Fire doors and partition walls in older school buildings
• Plant rooms, caretaker stores and utility areas

In many cases, these materials are safe if left undisturbed. However, if you are planning building works, a classroom refurbishment, maintenance activity or any work that could disturb these materials, a survey is a legal requirement before work starts. Given that schools are occupied by children and young people, early and thorough identification of ACMs is particularly important.

Your Legal Duty as a School or Education Setting

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, anyone who owns, occupies or has responsibility for a non-domestic premises has a legal duty to manage asbestos. This applies to all educational settings, including:

• Maintained schools and academies
• Free schools and independent schools
• Further education colleges and sixth form colleges
• Special schools and pupil referral units
• Early years settings and nurseries in non-domestic premises

The problem is that many of these materials do not look any different from non-asbestos alternatives. You cannot tell by looking at them. The only way to know for certain is to have the building surveyed or the material tested before work starts.

Your Legal Responsibilities as a Contractor

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, anyone carrying out work that could disturb asbestos has a legal duty to take the right precautions. As a contractor, this means:

• Before starting any refurbishment or demolition work, you must check whether asbestos is likely to be present
• If there is no existing asbestos survey for the building, or if the survey does not cover the area where you are working, a refurbishment survey must be carried out before work starts
• If you discover a material that you suspect contains asbestos during work, you must stop and arrange for it to be assessed
• You must not knowingly expose your workers to asbestos without the appropriate controls in place

The duty to manage means you must:

• Find out if asbestos is present and where
• Assess the condition of any materials found
• Produce and maintain an asbestos register
• Ensure anyone who may disturb the materials — including contractors, caretakers and maintenance teams — is made aware
• Review and update your asbestos management plan regularly

We can help you meet all of these requirements. Our surveys give you a clear asbestos register and management report that you can keep on file, share with your governing body or trust, and provide to any contractors working on site.

Our Surveying Services for Educational Settings

Asbestos Refurbishment Surveys

If you are planning a classroom refurbishment, new building works, an extension or any maintenance work, you need a refurbishment survey covering the areas where work will take place. This is a legal requirement and protects your contractors, caretakers, teaching staff and pupils.

A refurbishment survey is more thorough than a management survey and involves assessing hidden areas within the building fabric. We will give you a detailed report that your contractors can use to plan their work safely.

Asbestos Management Surveys

A management survey is the starting point for most schools and education settings. It is designed to locate any ACMs that could be disturbed during normal day-to-day use of the building, including routine maintenance and minor works. It gives you the asbestos register you need to fulfil your duty to manage.

We carry out management surveys with minimum disruption to your school or college. In most cases, we can work during school holidays, INSET days, evenings or at weekends — so there is no disruption to pupils or timetables..

Asbestos Testing and Sampling

If there is a specific material in your school building that you are unsure about, we can take a sample and have it analysed by an accredited laboratory. This removes any guesswork and gives you a definitive answer about whether the material contains asbestos. This is particularly useful when taking on a new school building, when a caretaker or contractor flags a concern on site, or when carrying out condition surveys ahead of planned maintenance programmes

Areas We Cover

We provide asbestos surveys for schools and educational settings across the North of England, with particular coverage across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

Yorkshire	Lancashire	Greater Manchester
West Yorkshire: Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Batley	Blackburn, Burnley, Preston, Blackpool, Accrington, Clitheroe, Nelson, Colne	Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury
North Yorkshire: Harrogate, York, Skipton, Ripon, Northallerton, Scarborough	Lancaster, Morecambe, Chorley, Leyland, Ormskirk, Skelmersdale	Tameside, Trafford, Salford, Leigh, Ashton-under-Lyne
South Yorkshire: Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham	Pendle, Ribble Valley, Wyre, Fylde, South Ribble, West Lancashire	Not sure if we cover your area? Just get in touch and we will let you know.
East Yorkshire: Hull, Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Goole, Howden

Not sure if we cover your area? Get in touch, and we will be happy to help.

Why Use HSG Asbestos Surveys?

BOHS Qualified Surveyors – All of our surveyors hold BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) qualifications, ensuring surveys are carried out to the highest professional standard.

• BOHS Qualified Surveyors — All of our surveyors hold BOHS qualifications, so you can be confident the survey is done properly, and the report will stand up to scrutiny from your governing body, academy trust or local authority.
• Fully Insured — We carry full professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
• Experienced with Education Settings — We understand the unique pressures of running a school or college. We work around your term dates, timetables and safeguarding requirements.
• Plain English Reports — We do not write reports full of jargon. You will receive a clear, straightforward document that tells you exactly what was found, where it is, what condition it is in, and what you need to do next — something you can share with your senior leadership team or governors without needing a specialist to interpret it.
• Fast Turnaround — We know that planned works in schools are often time-sensitive. We aim to return your report promptly, so you are not left waiting, and your project stays on schedule.

Common Questions

Do I need an asbestos survey before refurbishing a classroom or school building?

Yes. If your school or education setting was built before 2000 and you are planning any refurbishment, building works, or maintenance activity, a refurbishment survey is a legal requirement before work starts in the affected areas. This applies whether the school owns the building or the works are being carried out by a contractor appointed by the local authority or trust.

How long does a survey take?

It depends on the size and complexity of your site. A single-storey primary school can usually be surveyed in a few hours. Larger secondary schools, FE campuses or multi-building sites will take longer. We will give you a clear time estimate before we visit, and we will work with you to arrange a time that causes minimal disruption — typically during holidays or at weekends.

Can you work around school hours and safeguarding requirements?

Yes. We are fully aware of safeguarding requirements and are happy to arrange visits outside of pupil contact hours. All of our surveyors can provide DBS certification on request.

What if asbestos is found?

Finding asbestos does not automatically mean it has to be removed. If the material is in good condition and will not be disturbed, it can often be safely managed in place. Our report will tell you exactly what was found, what condition it is in, and give you clear recommendations on next steps — so you can make informed decisions and demonstrate to your governing body or trust that the matter is being properly managed.

We are a multi-academy trust with multiple sites. Can you help?

Yes. We regularly work with MATs and local authority estate teams managing multiple educational sites. We can produce consistent, comparable reports across your portfolio and help you build a clear picture of asbestos risk across all of your buildings.

Get a Free Quote

If you need an asbestos survey for a school, college, or other educational setting in Yorkshire, Lancashire, or Greater Manchester, get in touch with us today. We offer free, no-obligation quotes and are happy to talk through your requirements before you commit to anything.

Just give us a call or fill in our online quote form, and we will get back to you within one working day

Free quotes available. Call us: 01274 959994 / 07703 203930 / 07711 855891