Pupils in a Dundee school finished the summer term in a building covered in the same cladding which is thought to have contributed to the Grenfell Tower inferno.
Almost a quarter of the cladding covering the external walls of St Paul’s RC Academy is constructed from the material Reynobond PE, the same material which made up a composite of the panels which clad the exterior of the stricken London tower.
Reynobond PE panels have been discontinued following the catastrophic fire, which claimed the lives of at least 80 people on June 14, with Dundee schools finishing up for the summer holidays on Thursday June 28.
It is a composite used in the panelling which covered the stricken London tower – banned for use on towers in countries including Germany and the US, but not the UK.
The panels are fully compliant with building regulations in Scotland, according to Dundee City Council, but there is no word on whether the materials will be removed at this stage from the exterior of the school.
Lochee Labour representative, Councillor Michael Marra, said he contacted the council to enquire if any local schools used the cladding, following an announcement from the Scottish Government which identified schools in Scotland were covered in the material.
He said: “The education department has given me full assurances that the building meets all regulations and is safe.
“The regulations say cladding can be used on buildings under one storey and St Paul’s has a sprinkler system installed.
“I have asked the council to contact all parents to give assurances about safety and the education department has said they will get in touch.
“The second thing is that the Scottish Government has mishandled this situation.
“They should have been open and clear, but were refusing to give information earlier in the day.
“We need full transparency about these kind of materials, that’s the lesson to be learned from the terrible tragedy of Grenfell.”
The Scottish Government identified on Thursday that schools in 14 separate local authorities were clad in Aluminium Composite Material (ACM), but refused to note which councils and which schools were affected.
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “St Paul’s Academy has Reynobond PE cladding on approximately 24% of the external wall area of the building.
“The cladding system fully complies with the requirements of the current building regulations. In addition, the school has a fully compliant sprinkler system.”
The Scottish Government has said checks are currently being carried out by local authorities and the fire brigade to ensure all of the panels have been fitted in accordance with building regulations.