Ministers should urgently change the law to make sprinklers compulsory in all new-build and refurbished schools as is the case in Scotland and Wales. Investing in sprinklers is a small price to pay for improving the resilience of the school estate and protecting young people’s education.
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Schools could be almost twice as likely to be hit by a fire as other non-residential buildings, according to research by the insurer Zurich. Unlike Scotland and Wales, there is no legal requirement in England for sprinklers to be fitted in new-build and refurbished schools. With Government data showing almost 2,000 school blazes over the last three years, this is costing taxpayers millions of pounds, harming children’s education, and potentially putting lives at risk.