The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has slammed the government for removing guidance recommending the installation of sprinklers in schools
A recently published technical manual for school construction by the Department for Education (DfE) scrapped guidance recommending the installation of sprinklers in all new schools and colleges.
But this week, the leading construction body said the DfE had not consulted it, nor the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), about the change, according to a report by the AJ’s sister title
In a statement, the CIC said it was ‘deeply worried about the profound negative impact of this policy upon people and their local communities in cases where educational buildings are damaged by fire’.
It added: ‘The loss of those buildings can have a significant impact on individual welfare and the wider wellbeing of local communities, since the unavailability of the building is likely to curtail a range of social and educational activities.’
The new technical manual details an employer’s role in the design and construction of school and college buildings.
The DfE advises that the ‘use of BB100 [Building Bulletin 100] is no longer required’ for education buildings.
When Building Bulletin 100 was launched in 2007, Jim Knight, the then schools minister, called it a ‘landmark in improving fire safety in schools’.
BB100 recommended that all new schools should be designed to include sprinklers, ‘except in a few low-risk schools’.
Sprinklers in schools guidance watered down
However, the latest DfE technical guide only mandates sprinklers in buildings that are either at least four storeys or 11m high, have residential accommodation, or are special schools or special colleges.
The DfE launched a consultation on BB100 in May 2021, which closed later that year. The department has yet to issue its response.
The CIC said the decision to scrap the guidance left it ‘deeply worried’ about the future of school buildings, which it described as key community assets.
The body also warned that local authorities and communities would face ‘significant challenges and costs’ following any fire, while the affected building was being repaired.
Sprinklers are currently mandatory in new-build schools in Wales and Scotland, but not in England.
The Fire Protection Association last year called on the government to mandate sprinklers in all new school builds and significant refurbishments in England – a call echoed by the National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN) in February.
Sprinklers in schools had a 98 per cent success rate.
The NFSN said that 97 per cent of school fires occurred where buildings had no safety system, and that fires had caused £126 million worth of damage to schools each year, on average, over the past 14 years.
Sprinklers are mandated in all new care homes in England, as well as residential buildings over 11 metres, under Approved Document B.
A spokesperson for the DfE said: ‘Nothing is more important than the safety of every single pupil and staff member in schools and colleges.
‘All new school buildings are certified by a building inspector to ensure they meet the requirements of building regulations, and where sprinklers are considered necessary to protect pupils and staff, they must be installed.
‘On top of this, we have published a new school specification, which goes further than building regulations, which requires certain school buildings to have automatic fire-suppression systems in place.’
A spokesperson for the NFCC said the body continues to recommend the use of sprinklers in all new and refurbished schools, as they ‘help reduce damage, protect important community facilities, and minimise disruption to children’s education’.
‘We have seen first-hand the devastating impact that the loss of a school year can have on the aspirations and development of young people,’ they added. ‘The case for sprinklers in schools is clear and unambiguous.’
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