Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to make the Fire and Rescue Services and other approved fire inspectors aware of their duties to ensure that school notice boards are fire compliant; and if she will make a statement.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person (usually the owner, employer or managing agent) is required to undertake and review regularly a fire risk assessment of the premises and ensure adequate fire protection measures are in place and maintained appropriately in order to mitigate the risk to life from fire. To help responsible persons identify and mitigate fire risk and comply with the provisions of the Order, Government has made available guidance, including a specific guide for education premises, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-educational-premises

The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England requires fire and rescue authorities to have a management strategy and risk-based inspection programme in place to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order within their respective areas.

Fire and rescue authorities visit premises to audit compliance. They check the fire risk assessment and that the fire precautions in place are adequate and effective in keeping the risk to life as low as reasonably practicable. If the audit shows a premises to be unsatisfactory, fire and rescue authorities can issue an informal notice suggesting safety measures or, in more serious cases, a formal notice.