Concerns raised over school sprinkler guidance

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has shared its concern over new government guidance indicating a reduction in the level of required fire suppression in schools

In a letter to the Secretary of State for the Department for Education, CIC mentioned that it had been made aware of a Department for Education (DfE) specification document detailing that the use of BB100 (2007 version) was “no longer required” for all new schools being built under the 2025 DfE contract.

Relating to fire safety in schools, BB100 (2007) sees a requirement for new schools to be built and designed to include sprinklers “unless it can be evidenced that the risk was low and that sprinklers would not be proportionate”.

The council said that it was “deeply worried” that any reversal of the school sprinkler policy would have a “profound negative impact” on communities where educational buildings were 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,” CIC stated.

In light of the government’s latest consultation to review Approved Document B of the Building Regulations, the council added that the “time was right for government to consider the wider impact of fire issues on people’s mental health and wellbeing as a matter of urgency”.

A request was also made for DfE to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment to assess the impact of the policy change on SEND pupils and staff of protected characteristics.

As part of its 2025 Policy Manifesto, the FPA has been advocating for the government to mandate sprinkler protection in schools by requiring the installation of sprinkler systems in all new and majorly refurbished schools.

More details of this can be found here.