Fire Safety in Schools

This page has been compiled to provide information for Headteachers and Governing Bodies to assist them in keeping pupils, staff and visitors safe from fire and where possible, to prevent fire occurring in the first instance.

A number of publications, guidance notes and templates can be found, which have been selected to enable schools to carry out their obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

If you are in any doubt regarding your responsibilities, please contact the Health and Safety Team 01743 252819.

Publications to download:

Schools to use a competent Fire Risk Assessor

Shropshire Council have reviewed their Fire Policy. One of the more significant changes relates to the required competence of those undertaking the Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) in Shropshire Council maintained schools.

Schools are asked to engage the services of a competent fire consultant for completion of the FRA. 

Under the Fire Safety Order, the Responsible Person (the employer and the person in control of the premises) has numerous responsibilities and one of them is to carry out a fire risk assessment of the premises and review it regularly. The Responsible Person has a statutory duty to appoint a Competent Person to conduct the fire risk assessment. If a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is not conducted, both the Responsible Person and the fire risk assessor may be held accountable. Guidance requires that one or more competent persons are appointed to carry out any of the preventive and protective measures need to comply with the Order.

A list of consultants currently on Property Services Group (PSG) framework for undertaking FRAs on behalf of Shropshire Council’s maintained schools is provided below (June 2025):

Adele Partridge

25 Aldersley Way, Ruyton-Xi-Towns,
Shrewsbury SY4 1NE

07894 860292

 

adele@hsincare.co.uk

Activate Fire Safety Ltd

9 Admaston Road, Wellington, Telford TF1 3NB

01952 252205

07790 146847

shane@activatefiresafety.co.uk

Unicorn Fire & Safety Solutions Ltd

6 Salendine, Shrewsbury SY1 3XJ

0845 519 9039

07828 190 515

info@unicornsafety.co.uk

AtkinsRealis PPS Ltd

Woodcote Grove, Ashley Road, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5BW

0121 221 2914

07812 318162

dave.watkiss@atkinsrealis.com

Hydrock Consultants Ltd

* Not DBS Checked *

Over Court Barns, Over Lane, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4DF

01454 619533

07961385885

SteveWalker@hydrock.com

Review of FRA

All schools will require (at least) an annual review of their consultant led FRA*, but not necessarily by a fire consultant. An annual review, by the school based responsible person should currently be the standard and it is proposed to continue with this approach, with schools  submitting their reviewed assessments to the H&S Team, again as is current practice.

The reviewing process should be guided by the risk presented by the school/building and that assessed by the fire risk consultant.

It is suggested that Premises assessed by a consultant as having a “Tolerable” risk will require a three yearly re-assessment by a suitably competent assessor and premises assessed as presenting a “Moderate” risk should be re-assessed by a suitably qualified assessor every two years. The risk levels are taken from PAS 79-1 2020, the format in which the FRAs should be presented by the assessors.

*Review may also be required where there have been significant changes to the building or usage.

Links to further resources