ASBESTOS victims and their supporters were unimpressed yesterday after a long-delayed report into the presence of the lethal material in schools was finally published.

Hundreds of teachers and other education staff have died of asbestos related diseases since 2003, the Department for Education report found.

Among the proposed responses outlined in the report were the development of more targeted guidance on asbestos management.

Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum chair Doug Jewell said the report was “a step in the right direction” but “only one step on a long journey.”

He said: “The findings of this review need to be built on and most importantly we need long term strategic policies that will eradicate asbestos from our schools,” he said.

NUT general secretary Christine Blower agreed, saying: “The report is a step in the right direction, but no more. Better training and guidance is of course welcome, as is the focus on transparency and accountability of duty holders.”

She also criticised the lack of long-term strategy for removing asbestos from schools and the neglect to mention the inevitability that some adults are dying as a result of childhood exposure at school.