CIC has written to the Secretary of State for the Department for Education about new guidance which appears to reduce the level of fire suppression in schools.
CIC has been made aware that a document has been issued by the Department for Education which appears to be a specification for all new schools being built under the 2025 DfE contract and promotes a reversal of the school sprinkler policy.
Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of this document deal specifically with fire safety and in the 3rd paragraph of the 1st column on page 9 it states – “…..The use of BB100 (2007 version) is no longer required.”. BB100 (2007) has required new schools to be designed and built to include sprinklers unless it could be evidenced that the risk was low and that sprinklers would not be proportionate.
CIC is 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. 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. In the event of a building being damaged by fire the local authority and community is likely to face significant challenges and costs until the building can be repaired, rebuilt and returned to active use.
With the current review of Approved Document B of the Building Regulations taking place CIC feels that the time is right for government to consider the wider impact of fire issues on people’s mental health and wellbeing as a matter of urgency.
The letter also requested the Equality Impact Assessment the Department is required to undertake under their S149 Equality Act Public Sector Equality Duty, to assess the impact of this policy change on SEND pupils (and indeed any staff of protected characteristics), as well as the potential impact on any other members of the school and user community who have protected characteristics.
