Primary and infant school
Consider younger pupils, class supervision, toilets, play areas, collection arrangements and the ability to move complete groups safely.
Schools, academy trusts, governors and premises teams
School fire risk assessment
Understand school fire risk assessment duties, evacuation, specialist teaching risks and shared responsibilities, then request a tailored assessment quote.
Key points
School or academy fire risk assessment at a glance
- Primary, secondary, academy and independent schools
- SEND assistance, registers and assembly
- Specialist rooms, arson and out-of-hours use
- School assessment enquiries across London and Surrey
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the relevant assessment and evidence when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Schools bring large numbers of children, staff and visitors into buildings whose age, layout and use may vary across classrooms, halls, laboratories, workshops, kitchens, temporary units and external areas. The assessment must distinguish normal lessons from arrival, breaks, performances, examinations, lettings and holiday work.
A primary school with young children, a large secondary academy and a specialist SEND school require different assumptions about alarm response, supervision, assistance and evacuation. Governance also matters because the employer—and therefore the principal responsible person—may be a local authority, academy trust, governing body or proprietor.
This page covers non-residential school premises. Boarding accommodation and other sleeping areas need the relevant sleeping-accommodation context and a scope that coordinates residential and teaching operations.
School type and operating pattern
The assessment must fit the pupils, curriculum and estate
School size alone does not determine complexity. Age, SEND provision, specialist teaching, security, out-of-hours use and a fragmented estate can materially change the assessment.
Secondary school and academy
Assess large changing populations, laboratories, design and technology, sports, independent movement, exams, social areas and complex blocks.
SEND and specialist school
Develop practical assistance and communication arrangements around actual mobility, sensory, cognitive, medical and behavioural needs and available staff.
Independent and faith school
Establish the employer and proprietor, any boarding or worship areas, multiple buildings and how governance or hired premises affect control.
School-based nursery and reception
Coordinate early-years staffing, sleep or care arrangements and children unable to self-evacuate with the school-wide alarm and emergency plan.
After-school clubs and lettings
Define who is in charge, how hirers receive information, which routes and systems remain available and how reduced staffing affects the plan.
Temporary classrooms and extensions
Check separation, external routes, alarm links, accessibility, construction interfaces and whether changes remain consistent with the fire strategy.
Boarding or sleeping accommodation
Use the relevant sleeping-accommodation guidance, night staffing and warning assumptions in addition to the teaching-premises assessment.
London incident context
1,727 recorded fires in non-residential premises
London Fire Brigade recorded this total across London in calendar year 2025. It is a broad incident category, not a count for this exact premises type and not a measure of whether an individual building is safe.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The responsible person is normally the employer: this may be the local authority, academy trust, governing body or proprietor according to the school’s legal structure. Head teachers and premises staff usually manage arrangements but delegation does not automatically transfer the employer’s statutory responsibility. Landlords, contractors and hirers may have duties for areas under their control.
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.
Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires assessment, recording, precautions, maintenance, cooperation, information, training and emergency planning.
Educational-premises guidance
Home Office guidance covers schools, academies, after-school clubs and other teaching premises.
Building regulations and BB100
New school buildings and significant work must preserve suitable fire design and should be coordinated with the operational assessment.
Equality and education duties
Evacuation and information should address pupils, staff and visitors who need assistance without relying on fire-service rescue.
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.
Governance and scope
Identify the employer, responsible persons, buildings, tenants, clubs, hirers and any residential or separately controlled areas.
Pupil and staff profile
Assess ages, maximum numbers, movement between lessons, SEND needs, visitors, supply staff and out-of-hours workers.
Escape and assembly
Check routes from every block, gates, crossings, roll call, missing-person procedures, weather and safe re-entry control.
Specialist teaching
Review science, design and technology, food rooms, kilns, stages, sports, medical equipment, charging and hazardous substances.
Alarm and communication
Confirm coverage, audibility or visual warning, zoning, lockdown interaction and procedures during exams, performances and quiet periods.
Fire separation and doors
Assess compartments, protected stairs, service penetrations, roof voids, doors and the effects of legacy extensions or alterations.
Arson and property protection
Review bins, sheds, external storage, security, deliberate ignition, automatic detection and any suppression or resilience strategy.
Management and change
Examine induction, drills, contractors, hot work, impairments, holiday projects, defect escalation and completion of actions.
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.
Arson and external combustibles
Waste, sheds and accessible materials can expose the school outside occupied hours and spread fire to the building.
Laboratories and workshops
Flames, heat, machinery, dust, gases and chemicals require suitable controls and emergency arrangements.
Displays and stored resources
Extensive paper, fabric and corridor displays can increase fire load or conceal signs and doors.
Charging and electrical equipment
Large numbers of tablets, laptops, mobility devices and batteries require controlled charging and defect management.
Kitchen, stage and event use
Cooking, lighting, scenery, curtains, seating and public performances can change ignition, occupancy and escape conditions.
Construction and maintenance
Holiday works, hot work, disabled systems, temporary routes and poor handover can invalidate normal arrangements.
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.
Young pupils
They depend on staff direction, supervision and a calm, familiar procedure.
Pupils with SEND or medical needs
The plan may require individual assistance, communication, equipment and sufficient competent staff.
Parents, visitors and event audiences
They may not know alternative exits, school procedures or the correct assembly arrangements.
Supply, club and agency staff
People present occasionally need concise site-specific instruction and clearly allocated roles.
Lone and out-of-hours workers
Cleaners, caretakers and contractors may work in isolated blocks when normal staffing and alarm response differ.
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.
- Test class movement, staff supervision and roll call without relying on anyone returning to search the building.
- Use assistance plans that reflect the pupil, route, equipment and staff actually available at different times.
- Keep safeguarding, lockdown and access-control measures compatible with immediate escape and emergency-service entry.
- Exercise relevant conditions such as break time, lunch, performances, exams, clubs and reduced staffing.
- Coordinate separate blocks, temporary classrooms and off-site assembly routes so the whole estate receives warning and accounts for occupants.
- Where the site is hired, document the handover of capacity, alarm, evacuation, assistance and incident-reporting information.
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, reviews and action plan
- Site plans, fire strategy and building information
- Pupil, staff and maximum occupancy schedules
- Emergency plan, assistance arrangements and drill records
- Alarm, lighting, doors, extinguishers and suppression records
- Laboratory, workshop, kitchen and hazardous-material controls
- Letting, club and visitor information
- Construction, impairment, contractor and handover records
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 numbers, ages, SEND provision or room allocation
- New curriculum activity, equipment, chemicals or charging arrangements
- Extension, temporary classroom, refurbishment or change of use
- Change to gates, lockdown, access control, alarm or assembly
- New club, letting, boarding or significant event use
- Fire, near miss, drill problem or unwanted-alarm pattern
- Change in governance, employer or estate management
- 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.
Estate size
Blocks, floors, classrooms, halls, temporary units, external routes and remote areas.
Pupil and assistance needs
Age groups, SEND provision, staffing and evacuation planning.
Specialist facilities
Laboratories, workshops, kitchens, stages, sports, plant and boarding areas.
Records and operating patterns
Fire strategy, alterations, clubs, lettings, holidays and shared responsibilities.
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 academy 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.
Fire doors and protected routes
Plan a competent fire door inspection
Sleeping risk, vulnerable occupants, repeated use and flat-access arrangements can make door condition and records especially important in this premises type.
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.
For county-wide duties, cost factors and local context, read the Surrey school or academy fire risk assessment guidance.
Frequently asked questions
School fire risk assessment FAQs
Does every school need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. School premises are subject to the Fire Safety Order and the responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment is completed, recorded and kept current.
Who is responsible for a school fire risk assessment?
The employer is normally the principal responsible person. Depending on the school, this may be the local authority, academy trust, governing body or proprietor. Head teachers and site teams usually manage arrangements, while landlords and hirers may also control relevant matters.
How often should a school FRA be reviewed?
There is no universal annual expiry. Review it regularly and after significant changes to pupils, rooms, activities, buildings, systems, staffing or governance, and after incidents, near misses or meaningful drill findings.
How often should school fire drills take place?
Drill frequency and scenarios should be sufficient to test the emergency plan for the school’s actual risks and operating patterns. Record outcomes and correct weaknesses rather than repeating one routine exercise without review.
Does every pupil with SEND need a PEEP?
The school needs suitable, person-centred arrangements for anyone requiring assistance. The format should identify the necessary route, communication, equipment and staff while remaining coordinated with the overall emergency plan and data-protection responsibilities.
Can safeguarding doors remain locked?
Safeguarding is important, but required escape routes must be immediately usable in an emergency. Access controls, magnetic locks and gates should fail or release safely and staff should understand any tested manual arrangements.
Does a school FRA cover after-school clubs and lettings?
Only if they are included in scope and the assessment reflects their rooms, numbers, activities, staffing and available routes and systems. Schools and hirers should document responsibilities and exchange relevant information.
Does BB100 replace a school fire risk assessment?
No. BB100 and building regulations inform the design and alteration of school buildings. The Fire Safety Order still requires an operational risk assessment for the occupied premises and activities.
Do temporary classrooms need to be assessed?
Yes. Include their construction, separation, alarm connection, heating, charging, accessibility, external routes and coordination with the main site, together with any construction work associated with them.
How much does a school fire risk assessment cost?
Cost depends on the number and size of buildings, pupils, storeys, SEND provision, specialist rooms, temporary units, records and reporting scope. The calculator is an indicative planning range; compare quotations on identical scope and expected attendance.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your school or academy
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 8 September 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.