Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received on the merits of mandatory installation of fire sprinklers in all (a) new and (b) refurbished schools in England; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make such installation mandatory.

Earlier this year, a Call for Evidence was held on the review of the Department’s Building Bulletin 100: ‘Design for Fire Safety in Schools’. This included questions on fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers. The responses have been analysed and follow up technical studies are being carried out by consultants. Until this work is completed, the Department’s policy on installing sprinklers in schools remains unchanged.

As part of this review, Department officials will be liaising further with their counterparts in Scotland and Wales on the impact of requiring sprinkler installation in new and refurbished school buildings.