Fire safety first: An overview of creating a safe educational space

What’s inside

• How to conduct a fire risk assessment that actually does its job. We walk through a simplified 6-step approach developed with FRA specialists Frankham Risk Management Services, covering everything from selecting a competent assessor to reviewing the final report and acting on findings before the new school year begins.

• Fire safety equipment and what good maintenance looks like. Sprinkler systems, fire detection, emergency lighting, signage. We cover what needs to be in place, how it should be installed, and why routine testing isn’t optional, it’s the difference between equipment that works when you need it and equipment that doesn’t.

• Emergency procedures and evacuation planning. A clear, well-practised evacuation plan saves lives. We cover how to structure your approach, including a hybrid zone-based method, how to run effective drills, and how to plan for students who need additional support getting out safely.

• Compliance and legislation explained clearly. From the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 through to Building Bulletin 100, we cut through the legal language and explain what your institution is actually required to do and where to go for the right guidance.

• Training requirements and fire prevention best practices. The Fire Safety Order requires all staff to complete fire awareness training, but what does that look like in practice? We cover when training needs to happen, what it should include, and the day-to-day habits that reduce fire risk across your site.

• Fire door guidance from Gerda. Fire doors only work if they’re specified correctly, properly maintained, and kept shut. We share practical advice on what to look for when choosing fire doors for an educational setting and why getting this right matters more than most people realise.

• Case studies from schools and universities across the UK. See how institutions including a Chester high school, seven schools in Knowsley, and a large student accommodation provider tackled fire safety challenges with the help of specialist partners.

Fire safety isn’t just a legal requirement.

It’s a responsibility. A minor fire in a school car park in Norfolk left students without access to in-person education for more than four weeks. No injuries, no major structural damage, but weeks of disruption and stress for students, staff, and families. Fire safety in educational settings matters enormously, and the consequences of getting it wrong go well beyond the immediate incident.

For school leaders, administrators, and teachers, fire safety is one of the few aspects of a safe learning environment that you can directly control. Yet many institutions are working from outdated assessments, inconsistently maintained equipment, and evacuation plans that haven’t been properly tested. With legal obligations sitting squarely on the shoulders of the responsible person at each site, that’s a risk nobody in your position can afford to take lightly.

Who’s it for?

• Headteachers, bursars, and school business managers who hold responsibility for fire safety compliance at their site and want a clear, practical resource to work from.

• Facilities and estates managers in multi-site education organisations who need a consistent framework for fire risk assessments, equipment maintenance, and evacuation planning across all their buildings.

• Teachers and school administrators who want to understand their responsibilities around fire safety training, drills, and day-to-day prevention, and feel confident they’re doing the right things.

Why download it now

Fire safety reviews don’t always happen until something forces the issue. This guide gives you a thorough, readable resource to work through at your own pace, whether you’re starting from scratch, preparing for an assessment, or sense-checking what you already have in place. It’s been put together with input from some of the UK’s leading fire safety specialists and is written specifically for educational settings. Download it, share it with your team, and make sure the people responsible for keeping your students safe have got what they need.

Download your copy today