Ten UK schools are affected by fire every week. This means that thousands of pupils and staff are being disrupted and put at risk. Addressing fire safety in schools is therefore of the utmost importance.
There has been an encouraging reduction in the number of school fires in recent years. In order to help more schools continue this positive trend into 2026, our fire safety experts have put together a step by step guide.
While the visible damage from a fire is devastating, the total impact on the educational environment is often overlooked. Beyond the immediate disruption of thousands of pupils and staff, a school fire can lead to extended closure periods, which is particularly challenging for vulnerable students. Research highlights the significant emotional and psychological toll, with students and staff experiencing heightened anxiety, stress, and even symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following such a traumatic event. The loss of school infrastructure also requires extensive coordination, from arranging temporary teaching spaces to working with insurance providers, underlining why proactive fire prevention is a critical part of a robust business continuity plan. This critical preventative work helps to safeguard the entire community’s wellbeing and educational future.
The number of fires that occur in UK schools has decreased in recent history. However, the latest government fire statistics for England show there is still much room for improvement, when it comes to fire safety in schools.
While the overall number of fires is lower than previous years, the severity and cost of large-loss school fires remain a significant concern for institutions across the education sector.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was introduced to outline general fire precautions that must be adopted by all workplaces in England and Wales. It applies to all educational premises, from pre-schools to universities.
A key part of this legislation is the concept of a “responsible person”, otherwise known as a Fire Safety Officer. This is the person or group of people in your school who are ultimately responsible for fire safety.
Most commonly, these people are identified as headteachers, governing bodies or maintenance engineers. Anybody who has control of the school building or an area can be considered a responsible person.
The responsible person must, by law, arrange for a fire risk assessment to be carried out. As a result, they then need to take general fire precautions to protect those in the school. If they don’t do so, they could be prosecuted, as clearly defined in the guidance for legal responsibility in fire incidents.
The fire safety officer may have ultimate responsibility, but they do not stand alone. A key part of their role is to appoint and train fire wardens, who will help them to execute their school’s fire safety strategy. This structured approach, which includes creating fire safety champions, is essential for a fully compliant safety culture.
Carrying out a fire risk assessment is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform Order. The findings of this will form the basis of your school’s fire safety strategy.
A school fire risk assessment will:
It’s important to note that a fire risk assessment is not a one-off task. It must be reviewed regularly, especially after any significant change to the premises, such as renovations, or following a fire incident or a failed fire drill. Regular audits ensure that your school’s safety measures adapt to evolving risks, providing continuous protection.
If you are responsible for a school building that is under construction, you must refer to the Building Bulletin issue 100. This document outlines the technical requirements of a design for fire safety in schools.
These building regulations not only outline an optimum building layout for fire prevention. They also give guidance on features that can slow down the spread of fire. Slowing down the spread of fire will limit the disruption caused by a blaze, protecting against the loss of coursework and lowering potential closure periods. This is often achieved through measures like passive fire protection, which compartmentalises a building to contain a fire for a set period, protecting key areas like server rooms or archives.
The most notable root causes of fires in schools are combustible materials stored on site and arson. Tackling these threats is crucial in improving fire safety in schools.
The storage of flammable materials in the school building is something that will be flagged up in your fire risk assessment.
In many cases it is possible to reduce the risk of a fire by changing the way things are stored in the school. For example, you could make a science laboratory storeroom more resistant to fire or speed up the removal of waste around the school. Implementing clear policies for the disposal of waste materials and securing external bins away from the main building perimeter are simple, yet highly effective, ways to eliminate potential ignition points, addressing some of the top five fire hazards in the workplace.
In 2018/2019, almost one in five school fires were started deliberately. While figures fluctuate, arson remains a major threat to educational buildings. For instance, insurer Zurich found school fires caused on average more than £128,000 worth of damage in the last year, with a significant number being deliberately started. Therefore, upping security at your school is also something that must be considered in order to lower fire risk.
Increasingly, schools are introducing measures such as Dynamic lockdown, to tackle the threat of people who wish to do the school and its inhabitants harm. A dynamic lockdown system can quickly restrict access to building entrances, should a threat be identified in school hours, helping to secure vulnerable areas, especially in large office and administrative blocks.
Other security measures you could consider introducing include:
Modern school environments benefit greatly from integrated security systems. Linking your intruder alarm, CCTV, and access control simplifies management and dramatically increases response times. For example, a monitored intruder alarm activation can instantly trigger specific CCTV cameras to record the entry point and alert a remote monitoring centre, ensuring a rapid and targeted response to a potential threat, which is particularly useful for securing premises after hours.
Ensuring that your school fire alarm is fit for purpose and maintained effectively is hugely important. The most effective alarm system will:
It’s essential that this system is backed up by fire safety training to educate pupils on the dangers of false alarms. Staff should also be trained to act as fire wardens, responsible for marshalling pupils in the event of a real fire or drill. Furthermore, investing in predictive maintenance can help schools move beyond reactive repairs, using data analytics to anticipate and fix faults before they lead to system failures or disruptive false alarms, improving the reliability of your fire alarms.
There are also many other types of equipment that can help the responsible fire officer at your school boost safety, including:
You should ensure that fire drills are carried out on a regular basis at your school. By consistently practicing your fire evacuation process, you can identify any issues that need addressing.
Here’s a checklist to ensure that your school fire drill follows best practices:
A school fire safety policy summarises all of the key information about your fire safety strategy. It can be presented on your website and in communications with parents to demonstrate how seriously you take pupil safety. The contents of your policy should include information on:
BusinessWatch are experts in fire safety and security systems that safeguard schools across the UK. We provide comprehensive fire services and security solutions across a range of sectors, including education.
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