Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires assessment, full recording, precautions, maintenance, information, training and emergency planning.
Schools, trusts, governors and early-years providers
Fire risk assessment for schools and nurseries
Assess children’s evacuation, staffing, safeguarding, assembly, specialist rooms and out-of-hours use, then request a tailored quote.
Key points
School or nursery fire risk assessment at a glance
- Children requiring supervision or assistance
- Classrooms, specialist rooms and assembly
- Safeguarding and site-security interaction
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Educational premises contain occupants whose age, understanding and mobility vary widely. Nurseries may care for babies and children who cannot self-evacuate, while schools must manage large groups, visitors, specialist rooms and changing timetables without compromising safeguarding.
The assessment must reflect normal lessons, arrival and collection, clubs, performances, lettings, exams, holidays and reduced staffing. Boarding accommodation requires sleeping-accommodation guidance in addition to the educational-premises context.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
Depending on governance, the employer may be the local authority, academy trust, governing body or proprietor. Head teachers, managers, landlords and premises teams can control parts of the arrangements, but operational delegation does not automatically transfer legal responsibility.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Education and early-years frameworks
Providers must manage children’s safety and have workable emergency arrangements appropriate to their setting.
Equality and accessibility duties
Plans must consider pupils, staff and visitors who need assistance and avoid reliance on fire-service rescue.
Building regulations
New buildings, extensions and material alterations must coordinate fire design, safeguarding and operational use.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Age and capability
Consider babies, young children, pupils with SEND, mobility needs and differing understanding of alarms.
Evacuation and assembly
Assess class supervision, registers, sweep limits, missing-person procedures, assembly capacity and re-entry control.
Specialist hazards
Review science, design technology, kitchens, kilns, stages, plant, charging, oxygen or medical equipment.
Escape and security
Ensure gates, access control, lockdown measures and safeguarding do not prevent immediate emergency escape.
Detection and warning
Confirm alarm coverage, audibility or visual warning, zoning and procedures during exams, performances and quiet periods.
Management
Review staff induction, supply staff, drills, clubs, lettings, contractors, holiday work and maintenance.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
Combustible learning materials
Displays, paper, costumes, soft play and stored resources can increase fire load.
Specialist rooms
Laboratories, workshops, kitchens and kilns introduce ignition sources and hazardous materials.
Charging and electrical equipment
Tablets, laptops, mobility devices and batteries require controlled charging and storage.
Arson and external waste
Bins, sheds and accessible combustible material may create risk outside normal hours.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Babies and young children
They depend on staff for recognition, movement and reassurance.
Pupils with additional needs
Assistance, sensory needs, communication and evacuation aids must be planned.
Visitors, parents and hirers
They may be unfamiliar with alarms, routes and assembly arrangements.
Lone, supply and out-of-hours staff
Reduced familiarity and staffing can change the emergency response.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Plan how staff ratios and assistance work during arrival, collection, breaks, sleep periods and staff absences.
- Keep safeguarding controls compatible with immediate escape and emergency-service access.
- Use registers and roll calls without delaying evacuation or sending staff back into danger.
- Coordinate after-school clubs and lettings so responsible people, alarm procedures and handover are explicit.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and action plan
- Emergency plan and site plans
- Drill and exercise records across different scenarios
- Pupil or staff assistance arrangements
- Alarm, lighting, door and equipment maintenance
- Letting, contractor and holiday-work controls
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- Change in pupil age, needs, numbers or room use
- New specialist equipment, curriculum activity or charging
- Building works, temporary classrooms or security changes
- Change to clubs, lettings, boarding or operating hours
- Fire, near miss, drill or safeguarding conflict
- Evidence the assessment is no longer valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Site scale
Buildings, floors, classrooms, temporary units and external routes.
Occupant needs
Age groups, SEND provision, nursery rooms and assistance planning.
Specialist areas
Labs, workshops, kitchens, halls, stages and plant.
Operating patterns
Clubs, lettings, boarding, holidays and phased access.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with school or nursery premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for schools and nurseries FAQs
Do schools and nurseries need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. They are non-domestic premises under the Fire Safety Order. The responsible person must ensure the assessment reflects the building, activities and the children, staff and visitors at risk.
Who is responsible for a school FRA?
It depends on the employer and governance model: local authority, academy trust, governing body or proprietor. Head teachers and site teams often manage arrangements, but responsibility must be established from control and legal duties.
How should nursery evacuation be assessed?
The plan must account for babies and children who cannot self-evacuate, actual staffing ratios, sleep rooms, evacuation equipment, safe assembly and foreseeable staff absence.
How often should fire drills take place?
The frequency should be sufficient to test the emergency plan across relevant conditions and meet applicable education or organisational requirements. Different scenarios and occupancy patterns may need testing rather than repeating one routine drill.
Does school security override fire-exit requirements?
No. Safeguarding and security are important, but people must still be able to escape immediately and safely. Systems should be designed to meet both objectives.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your school or nursery
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
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