School Asbestos Dutyholder and Governance Policy

This policy applies to [school name] where it is a maintained or academy primary or secondary school in England and where asbestos management responsibilities may be shared between the employer, governing body, premises owner, academy trust, local authority or another responsible body.

Policy statement

The school shall identify the individual or corporate dutyholders for its premises. There may be more than one dutyholder, and responsibility may depend on the local circumstances.

The asbestos management plan shall name each dutyholder and record the premises or access areas for which that dutyholder is responsible.

Dutyholder identification and allocation

The adopted asbestos management plan shall identify [asbestos dutyholder role] as a dutyholder for [premises scope].

For every identified dutyholder, the asbestos management plan shall record the contractual, tenancy or control basis for the allocation as [dutyholder control basis].

Where responsibilities are shared, the asbestos management plan shall distinguish the responsibilities assigned to the [employer role], the [governing body role], the [premises owner role] and any other responsible body.

Governance and delegated responsibilities

The [employer role] shall support the governing body and leadership team in maintaining suitable arrangements for managing asbestos materials within the school.

The school shall record the delegated asbestos management responsibilities assigned to [delegated asbestos role]. Delegation of a function does not transfer the employer’s underlying duty.

Staff with delegated asbestos management responsibilities shall be suitably trained to undertake their role.

Monitoring and escalation

The [employer role] shall regularly monitor the effectiveness of the asbestos management arrangements to ensure that the risks are controlled.

Monitoring concerns, uncertainties about dutyholder responsibility and failures in delegated arrangements shall be escalated to [asbestos escalation role] in accordance with the recorded governance arrangements.

The asbestos management plan shall be updated when dutyholder responsibilities, premises control arrangements or delegated roles change.