Agenda item

To receive a report from Education team on health and safety in schools. This matter was referred to this Committee by the Audit and Performance Committee.

6.1       The Committee received a written report on the Council’s internal audit of health and safety in schools across the City. This report followed a referral of this matter by the Audit and Performance Committee to this scrutiny committee.

6.2       The Committee received a presentation from Alan Wharton (Strategic Asset Manager), Weronika Schultz (Health and Safety Advisor) and Moira Mackie (Head of Internal Audit) on the report’s findings. The Committee was informed by Moira Mackie that audit cycles ran every five years but that the Internal Audit team carried out thematic work in between the cycles, with the aim of achieving comfort in areas which were high risk. This thematic work had been achieved using a high-level questionnaire, where responses were voluntary. The questionnaire had been circulated at a pressured time, in the Covid-19 context, but nevertheless the response rate had been disappointing.

6.3       The Committee was advised by Weronika Schulz about the differences between community, maintained, academy and faith schools and the obligations on the City Council under the Health and Safety at Work Act legislation. The Committee was reminded that the City Council was legally responsible for 13 schools in the City, not for faith or academy schools which set their own policies. Weronika Schulz provided additional detail on the thematic audit, noting that this year the audit would be focused on the theme of asbestos in schools, including structural material and the fabric of the building. 

6.4       The Committee discussed the report, including whether the local authority needed strategic oversight across all schools in the City of health and safety procedures and policies. The Committee was informed that the Council had provided enhanced advice to all schools during the pandemic in addition to health and safety guidance to all schools on the re-opening of school premises after the Covid-19 lockdowns.

6.5       The Committee was further advised that the City Council had “rekindled” the E-volve system for all schools to use. This risk assessments system enabled schools to upload risk assessments. Officers were in the process of deciding whether to issue revised health and safety advice and templates for all schools to use in order to share best practice. Alan Wharton (Strategic Asset Manager) referred to the responsibility of community schools for maintaining their own buildings. Maka Baramidze (Westminster Academy) also referred to the maintenance of school buildings and raised the examples of a leaking flyover, roads or other serious health and safety issues, faced particularly by inner city schools in a city such as Westminster.

6.6       The Committee discussed the role of school governors in ensuring that schools were health and safety compliant and the complexity of this area of health and safety. The Committee also discussed the additional context that voluntary-aided schools may not have responded because support from local authorities in this area of health and safety had ceased some years ago and, whilst historically that support had been valued missed, answering an extensive questionnaire about current practice may not have appeared to serve an identifiable purpose.

6.7       The Committee discussed the Council’s responsibilities towards schools in the City. It was noted that the Council only has legal responsibility over Westminster’s community schools and not academies or faith schools that set their own policies. The Committee further discussed school governors’ responsibility for conduct and financial oversight, the training available to school governors and the potential for confusion between the Council’s statutory responsibilities.

6.8       The Committee raised concerns that the report did not reference violence against girls as a health and safety issues in school, given national conversation about “Everyone’s Invited”. The discussion also focused on the role of Ofsted and the numbers of schools with wellbeing policies.

6.9       The Chairman summarised by noting the report and thanking Officers for bringing it to the Committee’s attention. The Chairman welcomed the use of the E-volve system as well as the advice and best practice being shared with all schools across the City.

6.10     ACTIONS: The Committee requested that:

•           the revised guidance be circulated.

6.11     RESOLVED: that the Committee note the report.