Slip resistance testing built for schools.

It means the testing organisation — not just the equipment — has been independently audited for technical competence, traceability, impartiality and integrity of results. UKAS does not "approve" pendulums; UKAS accredits laboratories. After a serious pupil slip injury, an Ofsted finding, or an HSE investigation, an accredited report is the only one that can be relied on without challenge. Many sites in this market trade on the word "UKAS" without holding accreditation themselves. Always ask: is your company accredited under ISO/IEC 17025, and what is your laboratory schedule reference? Surface Performance Ltd is UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 7933.

The HSE recommends a minimum wet PTV of 36 for low slip potential. In a school, that minimum needs to be tested under the contaminants actually present — water and cleaning residue in toilets and corridors, sweat in sports halls, food and drink in dining rooms, chemicals in science labs. Swimming pools and shower areas must be tested with the barefoot Slider 55, which is a different methodology entirely. Smooth vinyl in classrooms often requires surface roughness (Rz) measurement — a pendulum reading alone can mislead on glossy surfaces.

Schools have duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Regulation 12 — floors must not be slippery so as to expose any person to a risk to their health or safety), and the duties placed on governing bodies and proprietors. DfE Building Bulletins 103 (mainstream schools) and 104 (SEND schools) reference slip resistance requirements, as does the DfE's Good Estate Management for Schools (GEMS) framework. Routine pendulum testing is the recognised mechanism for evidencing duty of care, and is increasingly requested under Ofsted's premises and safeguarding scrutiny.

As a baseline, we recommend an annual survey of high-risk areas, plus testing after every new floor installation or refurbishment (PSBP, CIF, SCA), after a change of cleaning chemistry or supplier, and after any reportable slip incident. Swimming pools, sports halls and shower blocks warrant more frequent intervals — typically six-monthly. Many MATs build slip testing into their annual estate condition cycle alongside fire safety, asbestos and water testing.

Yes. A typical pendulum test takes a few minutes per location and the equipment is fully portable. We routinely work in occupied schools, around lesson timetables, lunch periods and PE schedules. All operatives are DBS-checked and used to operating in school environments. That said, many schools and MATs prefer to schedule full-estate testing during half-term or summer holidays — we offer prioritised summer holiday slots for exactly this reason.

Yes — and they're our preferred way of working. Trust-wide and LA-wide programmes are typically 10–30% more cost-effective than ad-hoc per-school testing, and they produce the consistent, comparable evidence base that central Estates and H&S teams need. Single point of contact, consolidated annual reporting, and predictable per-site pricing.

Yes — completely. Surface Performance Ltd does not sell flooring, anti-slip treatments or coatings. Our only deliverable is the testing and the report. That independence is fundamental to UKAS accreditation under ISO 17025 and to the credibility of the report itself. Where corrective action is needed, we set out the options impartially.

Yes. Our reports are written to the same standard expected of expert witness evidence in personal injury cases. UKAS-endorsed reports carry the strongest possible weight in litigation and regulatory proceedings, and we have produced reports used in both claimant and defendant instructions, RIDDOR investigations and Ofsted matters.