Fire risk assessments are a crucial part of protecting people and property. This is even more vital in educational settings where school buildings can be packed with staff and young students, meaning fire safety measures must be robust and evacuation procedures need to be simple to follow and easy to access. 


An educational fire risk assessment is an organised inspection of a nursery, school, college, or university premises that aims to ascertain if there are any fire hazards that could cause harm. It also is used to assess the measures currently in place, estimate the level of risk, and reduce this to a minimum.


Fire risk assessments for schools


To comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, all schools and educational settings must complete a fire risk assessment. The risk assessment ensures the school building fully complies with government safety guidelines. The priorities of a school fire risk assessment are to:

  • Identify the fire hazards
  • Reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably practicable
  • Decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your premises if a fire does occur. 

What does a school fire risk assessment involve?


Whether you are responsible for a college, university or primary school, your fire risk assessor will check for a wide range of safety features. This will include a variation of the following: 

  • The building’s construction, layout, and use
  • Evacuation routes that are easy to access and unobstructed
  • Emergency lighting that has been properly installed and is in good working order
  • Compartmentation measures are in place for limiting fire spread
  • Fire safety signs are in the proper locations and used correctly
  • Fire extinguishers are in appropriate locations
  • Correct testing procedures and maintenance are in place for fire safety systems.

Our comprehensive fire risk assessments for schools incorporate all of the above, plus many more detailed safety checks. Your assessor will also look to confirm whether an adequate number of teachers and support staff have received the correct fire safety training and may request to speak to the person responsible for managing the building about the current safety procedures.

School fire risk assessments by NW Fire Solutions

A fire risk assessment by North West Fire Solutions will provide peace of mind for those responsible for fire safety at an educational premises. Our highly trained assessors have experience in identifying risks specific to users of educational buildings, and will ensure any potential fire risks are identified and covered in the assessment to help keep the risk of fire to an absolute minimum.

Get in touch

To find out how a fire risk assessment can improve your school’s fire safety procedures, contact our friendly team today for expert advice and a free quote. At NW Fire Solutions, our expert team has a wealth of experience in providing fire risk assessments for all types of buildings, from educational and residential properties, to commercial and industrial premises.