Fire safety in new and existing school buildings
Published 11 March 2014
© Crown copyright 2014
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-in-new-and-existing-school-buildings/fire-safety-in-new-and-existing-school-buildings
1. New buildings
Building work at all schools must comply with the building regulations enforced by local building-control bodies. Building Bulletin 100: design for fire safety in schools is the normal means of compliance with building regulations for fire safety design in new school buildings.
1.1 Who do the regulations apply to?
The regulations apply to nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, academies, free schools, special schools and pupil referral units.
2. Existing buildings
Schools are required to undertake risk assessments to identify the general fire precautions needed to safeguard the safety of occupants in case of fire, including their safe means of escape.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) fire legislation has become simplified. The Department for Communities and Local Government has produced a guide for schools - fire safety risk assessment: educational premises. The guide deals with the provision and management of fire safety.
You will need to:
- ensure procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood of fire
- maintain fire detection and alarm systems
- ensure staff and pupils are familiar with emergency evacuation procedures
It is important that:
- fire risk assessments are kept up to date
- fire precautions remain current and adequate (they should be reviewed in detail when significant alterations are made to a school’s premises)