Damaged Schools

Recovery Guidance - Infrastructure Issues

Damaged School Buildings

Background and Context

The June and July 2007 floods showed that repairing damage to school buildings can be a significant part of recovery work by local authorities, who may also have to provide temporary facilities in order to continue fulfilling their statutory duty to provide education. This is particularly the case in the recovery phase from flooding, when buildings may require a long drying out period.

This topic covers damage to school buildings only. For dealing with the death of a pupil, please see the Community Engagement topic sheet.

UK Policy and Guidance

England

Guidance produced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (previously Department for Education and Skills) on school emergency planning can be found on Teachernet.

This includes specific guidance on how to deal with the aftermath of flooding and fire.

DCSF's generic guidance is applicable to all types of schools, including special schools and boarding schools.

Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government has policy responsibility for education in Wales.

Scotland

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with Chief Fire Officers Association, has produced guidance on Fire Safety in Schools. Section 4 of the guidance is concerned with Planning for Recovery from Major Fires.
Fire Safety in Schools Building our Future: Scotland’s School Estate[External PDF]

Northern Ireland

Roles and Responsibilities

Local and Regional

DCSF have published statutory guidance on the roles and responsibilities of senior Local Authority staff and councillors who lead on a Local Authority's delivery of education and social services functions for children. [Note: This document is currently being updated and is due to be reissued in Autumn 2007].

Local Authorities are responsible for continuing to provide education when a school building cannot be used, e.g. through providing temporary accommodation for the school, placing children in alternative schools, or by distance learning packages.

The CCA does not require a maintained-school governing body to have an emergency plan, though fire regulations require those managing school premises to have an emergency evacuation plan; so business continuity arrangements for maintained schools, as for independent schools, are a “should”, not a “must”.

The Government Office will be able to assist the local authority by liaising with DCSF where necessary.

Lead Government Department

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is the Lead Government Department for advice on recovery of schools, children services and youth groups from civil emergencies.

Other Government Involvement

There is no other Central Government involvement for issues around damaged school buildings.

Devolved Administrations

Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government has policy responsibility for education in Wales.

Scotland

The Scottish Government School Estates Directorate has responsibility for overseeing Schools Estate matters.

Northern Ireland

[TBC]

Funding

Local Authorities make provision for schools and education within their budgets. LA-maintained schools should fall under the local authority's risk management arrangements Risk management for health and safety, which would cover emergency planning and recovery, falls to the employer. In community and voluntary controlled schools, this is the local authority; in foundation and voluntary aided schools it is usually the governing body. Such risk management is a requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These should include risk management, risk prevention, risk retention and risk transfer (to an insurer).

Terrorism insurance can be purchased as an additional insurance premium through the “pool re” scheme (see Dealing with insurance issues)