Education
Fire Safety for Schools and Universities
Fire safety consultancy for education supports schools, colleges, universities and student accommodation. RiSKFiX schedules assessments, inspections and strategy reviews around academic calendars and building use.
What are your duties?
- Current fire risk assessment for each premises and PBSA block
- Article 24 duties where PBSA exceeds 11m in height
- Compartmentation maintained through frequent service alterations
- Robust fire-evacuation plan, including PEEPs for students and staff with disabilities
How does RiSKFiX help?
- FRA programmes scheduled around term dates
- Inspection of PBSA fire doors and common-part compartmentation
- Fire strategy reviews for refurbishments and new builds
- Health & safety consultancy for estates and facilities teams
Which standards apply?
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (as amended)
- BS 9999:2017
- BS 9991:2024 (PBSA)
- Building Bulletin 100 (BB 100) — fire safety design for schools
- BS 8214:2026
How do teaching buildings and student accommodation differ?
An education estate can include classrooms, laboratories and sleeping accommodation, so the assessment must reflect how each premises is used. Purpose-built student accommodation brings sleeping risk as well as common-part inspection duties. Where it exceeds 11 metres, common-part fire doors require checks at least every three months and flat entrance doors require best-endeavours annual checks. Keep these inspection arrangements connected to the assessment for the premises, rather than assuming the teaching timetable defines every fire safety task.
How should alterations and term dates shape inspections?
Frequent service alterations can affect compartmentation. RiSKFiX schedules assessments around term dates and inspects student accommodation fire doors and common-part compartmentation. The summer break can provide an opportunity to plan inspection and remedial work while reducing disruption to teaching. Surveys report what is found; decisions about those findings remain with the Responsible Person and their Fire Risk Assessor. Fire strategy reviews can also support refurbishment and new-build projects across the estate.
What should an education estate keep under review?
Keep the assessment linked to building use and the evacuation plan, including PEEPs for students and staff with disabilities. The Order requires regular review, without prescribing a fixed interval. Alterations, changes in use or occupancy, a fire and completion of significant works identified by an assessment can all prompt reconsideration. A review does not always mean commissioning a full new assessment, but it should be recorded and the assessment should set a review date.
What documents help define the scope?
Previous assessments, floor plans, an existing fire strategy and test and maintenance records help explain the estate before a visit is arranged. Where opening-up is being considered, the risk of disturbing asbestos should also be considered, for example by checking the asbestos register. Describe whether people sleep in the building, how access is arranged and any deadline. These details help distinguish the needs of teaching accommodation from those of residential blocks.
What else should you know?
- Yes — many academic clients block-book inspection and remedial work for the long summer break to minimise disruption to teaching.
- Yes. Their sleeping risk differs from teaching accommodation, and the existing sector programme includes assessments for each premises and PBSA block.
- Yes. Building alterations or a significant change of use can trigger review, as can a fire or completion of significant works identified by the assessment.
- The Responsible Person decides with their Fire Risk Assessor. Surveys and inspections report findings; fire risk assessments assess risk and give priority-rated actions.
- Send the address, building use, floors, approximate floor area, previous assessment and deadline. Explain access arrangements and academic-calendar constraints so the scope reflects the premises.