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' was published by RIBA Enterprises on 9 November 2007. It is the normal means of compliance with building regulations for fire safety design in new school buildings and it sets out the Department policy on sprinklers in schools. 

The regulations apply to nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, academies and city technology colleges, special schools and pupil referral units.

Independent schools are also subject to building regulations. When a local fire authority considers the fire precautions of an independent school to be inadequate, they are required to inform the Department. Boarding accommodation falls into purpose group 2(a) of Appendix D to Approved Document B and is therefore covered by Part B of Schedule 1 to the building regulations.

Existing buildings

Fire precautions in both new and existing LA-maintained school buildings must comply with Regulation 17 of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. This requires that every part of a school building and of the land provided for a school shall be such that the safe escape of the occupants in case of fire is reasonably assured. Particular regard is given to

  • the likely rate at which flames would spread across exposed surfaces
  • resistance to fire of the structures, the materials from which the structures are made and their other properties
  • the means of escape in case of fire.

Although 'Building Bulletin 7: Fire and the design of educational buildings', 1976, no longer applies to new buildings as it has been replaced by 'Building Bulletin 100', it is the standard to which most schools have in the past been designed and upgraded. Since the building regulations are not retrospective, it may continue to provide useful advice on how to apply Regulation 17 of the Education (School Premises) Regulations to existing buildings.