With thousands of educational buildings still containing asbestos, Adam Fox, Director and Principal Consultant of the Northamptonshire-based company is advocating for a proactive and well-funded strategy to protect students, teachers, and staff from potential exposure.
He said: “For decades, the debate around asbestos in schools has been stuck on repeat.
“Every few years, reports resurface highlighting the risks posed by asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in ageing school buildings. Politicians make noise, campaigners demand action, and yet—here we are in 2025—with asbestos still present in thousands of schools across the UK.”
Asbestos was widely used in UK construction up until it was banned in 1999, meaning any school built before this date – over 80 per cent of schools - is highly likely to contain asbestos somewhere within its structure.
Since 1980, at least 1,400 teachers and support staff and 12,600 pupils have died from mesothelioma – an aggressive cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibres and these figures are predicted to rise.
For years, the government’s official stance has been to manage asbestos in place rather than remove it, under the assumption that if it remains undisturbed, it poses little risk. But that approach has come under increasing scrutiny as more evidence emerges about the poor state of school buildings, the lack of robust management, and the very real dangers posed to staff and students.
A report by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC), produced in 2021 after an investigation by eight unions representing heads, teachers and support staff, stated: ‘Hundreds of thousands of students and staff, exposed to asbestos in their schools since the mid-1990s, are predicted to die from mesothelioma.’
It adds: ‘Crucially, the evidence in this report suggests that [asbestos] is likely to be a tsunami in the UK. Their deaths would be the consequence of ineffective asbestos regulations and a cost-cutting culture that wrongly implies “asbestos is safe so long as it is not disturbed”.’
Highlighting the critical need for change, Adam Fox is pushing for:
- Mandatory removal plans – Schools must have clear, time-bound asbestos removal strategies, prioritising high-risk buildings first.
- Dedicated government funding – A ring-fenced budget must be allocated to support safe asbestos removal, rather than placing the burden on local authorities to manage it indefinitely.
- Greater transparency – Schools should be legally required to inform staff and parents about the presence of asbestos and how it is being managed.
- Investment in asbestos removal workforce – A national strategy should focus on training and expanding the workforce of asbestos removal professionals to meet increasing demand.
Adam said: “The presence of asbestos in schools is a ticking time bomb. We cannot afford to delay action any longer. The health and safety of students and school staff must come first, and this requires a national commitment to safe removal, transparency, and investment in the workforce.”
For more information visit: https://www.consulocompliance.co.uk/