THE county council has launched an immediate review into the cladding on its schools after the Grenfell Tower fire.

Worcestershire County Council ordered the checks in response to the devastating tower block fire, in London, on Wednesday, June 14.

Further inspections at council maintained buildings will be completed by the start of the new school year in September.

None of the schools maintained by the council are over 18-metres high and therefore part of the Government’s high-risk category.

Cllr Karen May, county council cabinet member for transformation and commissioning, said: “Following the fire, Worcestershire County Council launched an immediate review of external cladding used in all of our buildings including our maintained schools.

“Additionally, we will work with schools to assess their fire safety policies and ensure that any action required can be implemented in a timely manner.

“The safety of our residents is a top priority. All of our buildings including our maintained schools are inspected on a regular basis.”

Cllr May added that the council has a programme of fire risk assessments, safety inspections and tests which are carried out routinely.

“We are confident we have adequate fire safety arrangements in place,” the councillor said.

The council’s research into its buildings has revealed that a number of them have aluminium composite cladding.

The Government recently ordered councils using this type of cladding on buildings over 18-metres high to send samples to them for fire safety testing, according to The Telegraph.

Sean Devlin, the principal of Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, in Timberdine Avenue, Worcester, said: “I’ve had no communication from them at all. We have already done our review.

"We did it at the beginning of this week...or last week. Absolutely no concerns.

"It’s a Rockwool product [the school's cladding]. It’s fire resistant.”

Mr Devlin said they had contacted architects and other building experts as part of their review of the school, which is two storeys high in one area.

Some 120 tower blocks have now failed cladding safety tests across 37 local authority areas as part of a national Government review.