In 2019 there was 15,000m² of damage to school spaces and classrooms, impacting 20,000 children

Data from UK Fire and Rescue Service and Authorities reveals over 15,000m² of damage to school spaces and classrooms in 2019, impacting the education of almost 20,000 children

We spend far more rebuilding and repairing schools after fires than we would have paid to install sprinklers in the first place. The statistics tell us that the trend of fires is down but the costs of recovery are going up, and these fires still impact tens of thousands of students. Buildings will be inspected, rebuilt and renewed - the average large school fire now causes over £2 million worth of damage according to the Fire Protection Association.

Currently, sprinklers are currently only mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and centrally funded schools in Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. Yet observations on the incidence of fire relative to the population of school buildings, indicate that the rate of fires in England is the same as in Scotland and Wales.