Tilehurst is on the west side of Reading and it is mostly houses, with schools and small shops scattered between them.
That mix means the inspections we are asked about here are often a school or a nursery rather than a big block.
A primary school building has its own set of problems, and none of them are the ones you would guess.
The classroom door
A classroom door is opened by small children, at a height a small child can reach, many times a day.
That is why the closers are often set too soft. A closer that a six-year-old can push is not strong enough to pull the door through the latch.
And when the door stays ajar, the teacher props it. A chair, a coat, a bin. A fire door that is held open by a bin is not a fire door.
Glass and display
Half-glazed doors are everywhere in schools, so the teacher can see in and out.
The glass in a fire door is rated and marked. We look for the mark. If a pane has been replaced with plain glass, it has to be changed back.
Then there are displays. Paper pinned to the door, laminated sheets taped over the glass, a coat hook screwed into the face. Every screw is a hole. Tape over the glass hides the mark.
Nurseries
A nursery has fewer doors but the same worries, and a lower tolerance for noise and disruption. We work quietly and keep out of the rooms where children are asleep.
Many are in converted houses or village hall buildings, so the doors can be a mix of old and new.
Term time and holidays
Holidays are the best time. The building is empty, doors can be opened freely, and any follow-up work does not disturb lessons.
If that does not work, we can do evenings, weekends or an inset day. We agree the timing with the school office.
We do not photograph children and we do not take photos of any child's work. Photos are of doors.
Who is responsible
In a school it is the employer or the person who controls the building. That could be the governing body, the trust or the local authority, depending on how the school is run.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the fire authority for Reading. West Berkshire is also under that service, and Tilehurst sits near the boundary, so check which council covers the address if that matters for your records.
We worked on two secondary schools and an almshouse in Luton, covering 147 doors, of which 140 were repaired on site. Primary schools are smaller, but the work is the same.
What you get
A report with every door listed by room or corridor, with photos and measurements. It will show you which doors need nothing, which need small repairs and which are in a bad way.
We can price repairs from it. You can also give it to your own site manager.
Questions we get asked
Do you need the school to be empty?
It makes the job faster, but it is not essential. We can work round a timetable.
Can the report go to the governors?
Yes. It is written in plain English for that.
Send us the postcode and a rough door count and we will come back with a price the same day.
Get a price