Do all schools need a fire risk assessment?

Yes. All schools must have a suitable fire risk assessment in place. This applies to primary schools, secondary schools, academies, independent schools, nurseries, colleges, and other education settings. A school fire risk assessment helps identify hazards, assess risk, and ensure suitable fire safety measures are in place to protect pupils, staff, and visitors. The assessment should be kept up to date and reviewed whenever significant changes occur.

Who should arrange a fire risk assessment in schools?

Responsibility depends on how the school is managed. In some schools, the local authority may hold responsibility, while in academies it may sit with the academy trust. In independent schools, responsibility may sit with the proprietor or senior leadership team. Day-to-day tasks may be delegated to a headteacher, school business manager, or site manager, but responsibility must be clearly defined. City Fire can support the responsible person by carrying out a professional fire risk assessment for schools and providing practical recommendations.

Is a primary school fire risk assessment different from a secondary school assessment?

The core process is similar, but a primary school fire risk assessment must consider the needs of younger pupils who may require closer supervision during evacuation. Primary schools may also have early years spaces, cloakrooms, shared halls, and after-school club areas that need careful review. Secondary schools may have higher-risk spaces such as science labs, workshops, and larger sports facilities. Each assessment should reflect the building, pupil age range, staffing arrangements, and site-specific risks.

What documents should schools have ready before an assessment?

It is helpful to have fire alarm servicing records, emergency lighting test records, fire extinguisher servicing records, fire door inspection records, staff training records, fire drill logs, floor plans, and any previous fire risk assessments available. These documents help the assessor understand how fire safety is managed on site. If some records are missing, the assessment can still take place, but gaps in documentation may be highlighted as part of the final report.

How can schools reduce fire risk between assessments?

Schools can reduce risk by keeping escape routes clear, maintaining fire doors, testing fire alarms regularly, ensuring extinguishers and emergency lighting are serviced, and making sure staff understand evacuation procedures. Good housekeeping is also important, particularly in storage rooms, classrooms, kitchens, and plant rooms. Regular drills and staff training help ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

Can City Fire support multi-academy trusts or multiple school sites?

Yes. City Fire can support individual schools as well as multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and organisations managing multiple education sites. Through the LS Fire Group, we can also provide wider UK support while City Fire primarily serves London and Birmingham. A consistent approach across sites helps simplify reporting, prioritise actions, and maintain clear compliance records across your education portfolio.

School Fire Risk Assessments

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A school fire risk assessment is essential for protecting pupils, staff, visitors, and school buildings. Schools are busy, complex environments with multiple fire risks, from classrooms and kitchens to science labs, boiler rooms, sports halls, and shared circulation areas.

At City Fire Protection, we provide professional fire risk assessments for schools across London, Birmingham, and the wider UK through the support of the LS Fire Group. Our experienced assessors help headteachers, school business managers, site teams, academy trusts, governors, and local authorities understand their fire safety responsibilities and take practical steps to reduce risk.

If you need a fire risk assessment for schools, fill in our online form and a member of our team will be in touch.

Why do schools need fire risk assessments?

Schools have a legal and moral duty to provide a safe environment for everyone on site. A fire incident in an educational setting can put pupils, staff, contractors, parents, and visitors at risk, while also causing major disruption to learning and school operations.

A professional fire risk assessment in schools helps identify how a fire could start, who may be affected, and what measures are needed to reduce the likelihood and impact of an incident. This includes reviewing the physical building, existing fire safety systems, evacuation arrangements, and how fire safety is managed day to day.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must ensure that fire risks are assessed and appropriate fire safety measures are in place. For schools, this responsibility may sit with the employer, local authority, academy trust, governing body, headteacher, or another person with control over the premises.

What makes school fire risk assessments different?

Fire risk assessments in schools require a careful and practical approach because educational buildings are used by large numbers of people, many of whom are children or young people. This means evacuation procedures, staff responsibilities, communication, and supervision must all be considered in detail.

Schools may include a wide range of spaces with different risks. A classroom presents different hazards from a science lab, kitchen, design and technology workshop, sports hall, or plant room. Some schools also operate outside normal teaching hours for clubs, lettings, community use, breakfast clubs, after-school care, and events.

A good school fire risk assessment must consider how the building is used throughout the full school day, not just during lesson time.

Common fire risks in schools

A fire risk assessment for schools will usually review a wide range of hazards linked to daily school operations. Common fire risks include:

Electrical equipment, charging points, computers, and projectors
Science laboratories and chemical storage areas
Design and technology workshops
Kitchens, dining halls, and food preparation areas
Boiler rooms, plant rooms, and maintenance areas
Stored paper, books, displays, and classroom materials
Portable heaters or temporary electrical equipment
Blocked corridors, stairwells, or emergency exits
Poorly maintained fire doors or missing self-closing devices
Arson risks, particularly in external storage areas or outbuildings

Identifying these risks allows schools to take proportionate action, improve safety, and reduce the chance of fire disrupting learning.

Who is responsible for fire safety in a school?

The responsible person for a school will depend on the type of school and how it is managed. In maintained schools, responsibility may sit with the local authority, headteacher, or governing body. In academies and multi-academy trusts, responsibility may sit with the trust or those appointed to manage premises safety. In independent schools, responsibility usually sits with the proprietor, senior leadership team, or site management team.

Although tasks can be delegated, legal responsibility must be clearly understood and properly managed. The responsible person must ensure that a suitable school fire risk assessment is carried out, that findings are acted upon, and that fire safety measures are maintained.

This includes ensuring fire alarm systems, fire doors, emergency lighting, extinguishers, signage, evacuation procedures, staff training, and fire drills are suitable and kept up to date.

What does a school fire risk assessment cover?

A professional fire risk assessment in schools looks at both physical fire safety measures and day-to-day management arrangements. The aim is to confirm whether the school has suitable measures in place to prevent fire, detect it early, and support safe evacuation.

During an assessment, a competent assessor will usually review:

Classrooms, offices, and staff areas
Science labs, workshops, kitchens, and plant rooms
Corridors, staircases, assembly halls, and escape routes
Fire doors, compartmentation, and door closers
Fire alarm and detection systems
Fire extinguishers and fire blankets
Emergency lighting and signage
Evacuation procedures, assembly points, and fire drills
Staff training and fire warden arrangements
Maintenance records and previous fire safety documentation

Following the assessment, the school receives a written report outlining any risks identified and recommended actions.

How often should fire risk assessments for schools be reviewed?

Fire risk assessments for schools should be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain accurate and suitable. In most cases, an annual review is recommended, but assessments should also be updated sooner if there are significant changes.

This may include:

Building works, refurbishment, or layout changes
A change in pupil numbers or building use
New equipment, activities, or curriculum areas
Changes to escape routes or assembly points
Fire alarm, emergency lighting, or fire door upgrades
A fire, near miss, or safety concern
Changes in staffing, site management, or responsible persons

Keeping the assessment up to date helps demonstrate that the school is actively managing fire safety and taking its responsibilities seriously.

Our school fire risk assessment services

Step 1: Initial enquiry and school information

Once you get in touch, we’ll gather key details about your school, including its location, size, layout, age range, occupancy, site use, and any known fire safety concerns. We may also ask about existing fire safety records, alarm servicing, fire drills, emergency lighting checks, and previous assessments.

This helps us understand the scope of the assessment and plan the visit around your school’s operational needs.

Step 2: On-site fire risk assessment

A competent assessor will visit the school to carry out a detailed inspection of the relevant areas. This includes reviewing classrooms, communal spaces, kitchens, laboratories, workshops, plant rooms, corridors, staircases, fire exits, alarm systems, emergency lighting, signage, and fire doors.

The assessment will also consider how pupils, staff, visitors, and contractors would evacuate safely in the event of a fire.

Step 3: Clear written report

Following the site visit, you’ll receive a written school fire risk assessment report outlining the findings from the inspection. The report will identify hazards, areas of concern, and recommended actions.

Our reports are designed to be clear and practical, helping school leaders, governors, trusts, and site teams understand what needs to be addressed and why.

Step 4: Review and ongoing fire safety planning

A fire risk assessment should form part of ongoing school fire safety management. City Fire can help you understand when your assessment should be reviewed and what changes may trigger an update, such as refurbishment, occupancy changes, new teaching spaces, or changes to evacuation procedures.

This helps ensure your fire safety arrangements remain suitable as the school evolves over time.

Fire risk assessment-led remedial support

A fire risk assessment is most effective when its recommendations are acted upon. City Fire can support schools with remedial works following the assessment, helping you move from report to action with one trusted provider. Depending on the findings, we can help with:

Why choose City Fire for school fire risk assessments?

- Experience supporting education and commercial environments
- Clear understanding of school-specific fire risks
- Support for primary schools, secondary schools, academies, nurseries, colleges, and independent schools
- Coverage in London and Birmingham, with UK-wide support through the LS Fire Group
- Clear reports with practical, prioritised recommendations
- Support with remedial works after the assessment

Book your school fire risk assessment

If you need a professional school fire risk assessment, City Fire is ready to help. We provide clear, practical assessments that help schools protect pupils, staff, visitors, and property.

To arrange your fire risk assessment for schools, fill in our online form and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your requirements.

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Fire safety is a responsibility that never rests and we’re here to implement complete fire protection for your business. Get in touch with our industry-leading experts to learn how we prevent fires, protect lives, and ensure compliance for you.

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School fire risk assessment FAQs

Do all schools need a fire risk assessment?: Yes. All schools must have a suitable fire risk assessment in place. This applies to primary schools, secondary schools, academies, independent schools, nurseries, colleges, and other education settings. A school fire risk assessment helps identify hazards, assess risk, and ensure suitable fire safety measures are in place to protect pupils, staff, and visitors. The assessment should be kept up to date and reviewed whenever significant changes occur.
Who should arrange a fire risk assessment in schools?: Responsibility depends on how the school is managed. In some schools, the local authority may hold responsibility, while in academies it may sit with the academy trust. In independent schools, responsibility may sit with the proprietor or senior leadership team. Day-to-day tasks may be delegated to a headteacher, school business manager, or site manager, but responsibility must be clearly defined. City Fire can support the responsible person by carrying out a professional fire risk assessment for schools and providing practical recommendations.
Is a primary school fire risk assessment different from a secondary school assessment?: The core process is similar, but a primary school fire risk assessment must consider the needs of younger pupils who may require closer supervision during evacuation. Primary schools may also have early years spaces, cloakrooms, shared halls, and after-school club areas that need careful review. Secondary schools may have higher-risk spaces such as science labs, workshops, and larger sports facilities. Each assessment should reflect the building, pupil age range, staffing arrangements, and site-specific risks.
What documents should schools have ready before an assessment?: It is helpful to have fire alarm servicing records, emergency lighting test records, fire extinguisher servicing records, fire door inspection records, staff training records, fire drill logs, floor plans, and any previous fire risk assessments available. These documents help the assessor understand how fire safety is managed on site. If some records are missing, the assessment can still take place, but gaps in documentation may be highlighted as part of the final report.
How can schools reduce fire risk between assessments?: Schools can reduce risk by keeping escape routes clear, maintaining fire doors, testing fire alarms regularly, ensuring extinguishers and emergency lighting are serviced, and making sure staff understand evacuation procedures. Good housekeeping is also important, particularly in storage rooms, classrooms, kitchens, and plant rooms. Regular drills and staff training help ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency.
Can City Fire support multi-academy trusts or multiple school sites?: Yes. City Fire can support individual schools as well as multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and organisations managing multiple education sites. Through the LS Fire Group, we can also provide wider UK support while City Fire primarily serves London and Birmingham. A consistent approach across sites helps simplify reporting, prioritise actions, and maintain clear compliance records across your education portfolio.

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