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Managing Asbestos During School Retrofit and Refurbishment Projects

School refurbishment projects can present significant asbestos management challenges, particularly for Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and local authorities responsible for older buildings.

With the arrival of new government investment supporting improvements to school estates, ensuring asbestos risks are properly assessed before building work begins is very important.

From arranging appropriate surveys to keeping contractors informed, estates teams need reliable information to plan refurbishment safely and avoid unnecessary disruption.

Key points:

• Refurbishment work may require a more intrusive asbestos survey than existing management records provide.
• Contractors need relevant asbestos information before starting work.
• Survey findings, remedial actions and asbestos records must be kept up to date.
• Centralised information helps estates teams maintain oversight across their property portfolios.

Why school investment puts asbestos management in focus

Announced in June 2026, the Department for Education's £710 million renewal and retrofit programme aims to extend the lifespan of school and college buildings, address deterioration and improve their resilience and energy performance.

The initial phase focuses on selected buildings in Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the South East.

For older school properties, refurbishment can mean working around asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos in ceiling tiles, insulating board, pipe lagging, floor coverings and other materials.

Asbestos-containing materials can often remain safely in place when undamaged and properly managed. However, refurbishment can disturb materials that have previously presented little risk during everyday building use.

Identifying these risks early helps schools plan work appropriately, protect building occupants and contractors, and avoid preventable disruption.

Who is responsible for managing asbestos in schools?

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 place a duty to manage asbestos on those responsible for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises.

In academy schools, the academy trust is generally the dutyholder. Responsibility for local authority-maintained schools depends on the particular school's arrangements.

The Academy Trust Handbook 2026, effective from 1 October 2026, specifically reminds trusts of their duty to manage asbestos effectively.

Dutyholders must ensure that asbestos risks are assessed, suitable management arrangements are maintained and relevant information is made available to those who may disturb asbestos.

For MATs managing numerous properties, this means more than maintaining an individual asbestos register at each school. There must also be sufficient oversight to establish that responsibilities are being fulfilled consistently across the estate.

Is an existing asbestos survey sufficient for refurbishment?

Not necessarily.

A management survey is intended to support asbestos management during normal occupation, maintenance and foreseeable routine activities. It may not identify asbestos hidden within areas that will be disturbed during refurbishment.

A refurbishment or demolition survey is needed before work that may disturb concealed asbestos-containing materials. This is generally more intrusive and should be scoped to the proposed works.

For example, a school replacing ceiling systems or upgrading heating infrastructure may need additional investigation of areas that were inaccessible during previous surveys.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that refurbishment and demolition surveys must be undertaken by competent surveyors. Areas being surveyed must be vacated, with appropriate arrangements for safe reoccupation afterwards.

Schools should establish survey requirements during project planning, rather than discovering gaps after contractors arrive on site.

Four asbestos management challenges during school refurbishment

1. Working with incomplete or outdated records

Historic asbestos information may be spread across spreadsheets, PDF reports, contractor systems and paper files.

This can make it difficult to establish which survey is current, whether previous remedial work has been recorded or whether areas remain uninspected.

Maintaining an accurate asbestos register, supported by relevant survey reports and an asbestos management plan, helps estates teams establish reliable information before refurbishment begins.

Records should also be reviewed where buildings have been altered since the previous survey.

2. Making sure contractors have the correct information

Refurbishment projects can involve building contractors, surveyors, maintenance providers and specialist asbestos contractors.

Each needs appropriate information about known asbestos risks in the areas where they will be working.

Simply holding an asbestos register is not sufficient if those who need the information cannot access or understand it.

Schools should establish a clear process for sharing relevant asbestos information before work begins and checking that contractors understand any restrictions or required precautions.

3. Coordinating projects across multiple schools

A Multi-Academy Trust may have several refurbishment projects underway simultaneously, often scheduled during school holidays to minimise disruption.

Each location can have different survey histories, building layouts, asbestos risks and outstanding actions.

Maintaining oversight becomes difficult when individual schools manage records independently.

An estate-wide view helps identify which properties have current survey information, where additional investigations are required and which actions remain outstanding.

4. Keeping asbestos records accurate and up to date

Refurbishment work can change the location, condition or presence of asbestos-containing materials within a building.

Where asbestos has been removed, encapsulated or otherwise affected by building work, the asbestos register and management plan should be updated to reflect those changes.

For Multi-Academy Trusts and local authorities, maintaining accurate records is an ongoing responsibility. Regular reviews help ensure that survey findings, remedial actions and other relevant information remain current.

Consistent record-keeping also makes it easier for estates managers to demonstrate compliance, monitor outstanding actions and maintain oversight of their properties.

Managing asbestos across school estates with TEAMS Enterprise

TEAMS Enterprise helps Multi-Academy Trusts and local authorities manage asbestos information across multiple properties through one centralised platform. This gives estates managers greater control over their records and makes relevant information more accessible when planning refurbishment projects.

The platform supports estates teams in three important ways:

• Centralised asbestos information: Bring asbestos survey data and records together in one structured system, reducing reliance on disconnected files and contractor databases.
• Controlled access to information: Give authorised staff and contractors access to detailed asbestos records for relevant buildings, helping them understand existing hazards before work begins.
• Portfolio-wide reporting: View asbestos information from individual locations through to an entire estate, making it easier to maintain oversight and identify areas requiring attention.

For MATs coordinating several refurbishment projects, this provides a more consistent way to access information and retain control of asbestos records.

TEAMS Enterprise supports these processes but does not replace competent professional advice, necessary surveys or the legal responsibilities of dutyholders.

Practical checklist before starting school refurbishment

Before authorising refurbishment work, estates and compliance managers should:

1. Review existing records: Check the asbestos register and available survey reports.
2. Confirm survey requirements: Establish whether a refurbishment or demolition survey is needed.
3. Identify outstanding risks: Review relevant asbestos hazards and necessary remedial work.
4. Inform contractors: Share relevant asbestos information and confirm it has been understood.
5. Agree project arrangements: Establish responsibilities, appropriate precautions and procedures for unexpected discoveries.
6. Plan record updates: Arrange for asbestos information to be updated following completion.

Completing these checks during planning can help avoid unnecessary delays and support effective asbestos management throughout the project.

Managing asbestos across multiple school buildings?

Looking for a more effective way to manage asbestos compliance across your school estate?

Contact the TEAMS team to discuss your requirements and find out how TEAMS Enterprise could help your organisation.