lath

The 60 schools in the county that were checked for potentially unsafe ceilings were old buildings constructed using lath and plaster, which can crack and collapse if damaged.

Inspections were launched after a ceiling - made out of lath and plaster - partly collapsed at a Synergy Education Trust academy.

An acre-sized lath house provided shade for tender seedlings, and an innovative rainwater collection system provided water for irrigation six months of the year.

Penny Carpenter, the cabinet member for children’s services, said the issue related to ceilings made from lath and plaster, which was used from the early 18th century, through to the early to mid 20th century.

The heavy plaster, mixed with Portland cement, more than three inches thick and applied to a lath of chicken wire, required an ax to break through.