School Fire Risk Assessment — A Headteacher's Checklist

The regulatory landscape

Schools sit at the intersection of multiple regulatory regimes:

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — Responsible Person duties
• DfE Building Bulletin 100 — Fire safety design for schools
• Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 — for independent schools
• Approved Document B — building regulations fire safety

The Responsible Person in a school is typically the head teacher, head of estates or trust CEO depending on governance.

What makes school FRAs different

Schools differ from most commercial premises:

• High peak occupancy (often 1,000+ in secondary)
• Mobility differences (mainstream and SEN provision)
• Distributed locations across an estate
• Multiple buildings of different ages and constructions
• Significant external use (lettings, after-school clubs)
• Specialist risk areas (DT workshops, science labs, kitchens)

What a good school FRA covers

A competent school FRA addresses, at minimum:

• Means of escape from every part of the building
• Travel distances and alternative routes
• Capacity calculations under BS 9999
• Phased or progressive horizontal evacuation strategy (large/SEN schools)
• Fire detection and alarm coverage (typically L1 or L2)
• Emergency lighting on every escape route
• Fire doors at every classroom and protected zone
• Compartmentation between teaching blocks
• Specialist risks (DT, science prep, kitchen)
• Sleeping accommodation (boarding) — distinct risk regime
• External use risks (lettings to community)
• PEEPs for staff and students who need them

The PEEP question

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are individualised for any person who cannot evacuate unaided. In schools, this includes:

• Wheelchair users
• Pupils with profound mobility impairments
• Some hearing- and vision-impaired pupils
• Some pupils with autism spectrum needs requiring structured routines

A school FRA without a PEEP register for known affected pupils is incomplete.

The lettings risk

Many schools let buildings to community groups, after-school clubs and weekend users. The FRA must consider:

• Whether the letting user is aware of fire safety procedures
• Whether the alarm and emergency lighting will work as expected during the letting
• Who is the Responsible Person for the duration of the letting (often unclear)
• What instruction is provided to the lettee

This is one of the most common school FRA gaps.

Documentation a Fire Authority will ask for

• Current FRA
• Action plan with closure evidence
• Weekly alarm test logbook
• 6-monthly alarm service certificates
• Emergency lighting monthly + annual records
• Drill records (typically termly)
• Evacuation timing records
• PEEP register
• Lettings risk assessments

Headteacher's quick checklist

Five questions to ask your provider:

1. Was the assessor NFRAR-registered at appropriate tier? 2. Does the FRA include PEEPs for known affected pupils? 3. Are lettings explicitly addressed? 4. Is the action plan prioritised with realistic dates? 5. Is there an annual review built into the contract?

MetroFire delivers school fire risk assessments, alarm servicing and PPM contracts across London and the South East. Book.