Barlby Primary School

Kensington and Chelsea Council, its contractors, and the leadership teams at both Barlby and Kensington Queensmill have agreed to continue construction on the new schools, with a view to opening on time for the new term. This is a very exciting time for parents, pupils and the wider school community as the state-of-the-art facilities of the school will be available from September.

As you may know, Kingspan products were found to be in use in the Council-led project a few weeks ago. The community concern on this issue was understandable, as Kingspan have been a major player in the ongoing Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

It is important to stress that the Kingspan product already in place is not the same as that used on the Grenfell Tower and is safe to use in line with all current national building regulations. The products used are for insulation, as well as flood and damp protection and are not cladding.

With that in mind, the Council asked contractors to pause the works on the affected areas, so we could all take stock, check the products being used, check the installation of those products and assess what to do next. All unused Kingspan products were removed from the site.

This is also in line with a new policy from the Council to not use products from several companies involved in the Grenfell Inquiry.

Throughout the last few weeks, we have been in dialogue with the leadership at the schools and the clear priority has been to get these new schools open on time, and safely. The new schools go above and beyond for safety with sprinkler systems, alarms and evacuation corridors and routes. 

The Council and the schools have been given strong assurances from contractors on site and have thoroughly checked over the work already completed. 

We all believe the right approach is to continue with the construction and use alternative products from this point onwards.

The Council will closely monitor the works as they are progressed towards completion, and will also continue to review the products used in the build. If anything comes to light that we think puts the safety of staff, children and parents using the facility at risk, the Council will take immediate action. However, we are of the mind this will not be the case.

It is our collective view that although these products are from companies appearing at the Grenfell Inquiry, the installation of them at Barlby and Kensington Queensmill are different products and have been done safely.

Below we have made available all the letters of confidence from the contractors involved, and from building control professionals, and we have provided a Q&A for parents, teachers, and members of the local community. You can also watch a video update from Cllr Josh Rendall, Lead Member for Family and Children’s Services.

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Video update from Cllr Josh Rendall, Lead Member for Family and Children’s Services

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Letters of confidence

The files above are not currently accessible. If you require the documents in an accessible version or different format please contact us by:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 020 7361 2941

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Questions and answers (Q&A)

Are the schools going to be safe?

Yes, the schools are built with the strongest possible safety standards in place, including evacuation methods, alarms, and sprinkler systems. Furthermore it worth noting that the fire strategy was designed without the need of using the sprinkler systems. The construction has gone over and above the national standards on school building safety. The materials used are not cladding, nor are they part of the building’s fire safety measures.

What products have been used and why?

Kingspan insulation has been used on the roof parapet, on pipes and ducts lagging, and installed around the perimeter of the school, encapsulated below ground, under concrete and brickwork. The product in the perimeter is Kingspan Greenguard GG300 – it conforms with all building regulations and has a one-hour fire rating. It is designed to improve insulation and prolong resistance to moisture below ground and resistance to potential flooding. There are alternatives on the market, but Kingspan products used by contractors right across the country on numerous major and minor construction and renovation projects.

Why not remove the products that have been used already?

Removal of the products would involve very significant work on the walls and foundations of the building, would result in delays of months to the opening of the schools. The materials are deemed safe, even with issues surrounding the inquiry, and so we have decided to proceed on that basis, but use alternative products from this point onwards. This is in line with emerging Council policy on this issue.

Will the schools open on time?

Yes, the joint aim of the Council and the schools is to open on time for the new term.

If the products are safe, why not continue using them?

The Council has recently adopted a new policy, which includes not using Kingspan products on builds led or funded by the Council.