Over 1,100 classrooms destroyed by fire in five years

School fires have destroyed the equivalent of 1,100 classrooms in the last five years, according to analysis of Home Office data by Zurich Municipal.

Fire crews have been called to tackle 2,300 school blazes in England, which completely gutted 47 primary and secondary schools, and seriously damaged 230 others.

More than 74,000 square metres, an area equivalent to 10 football pitches, of teaching facilities have been damaged by fire in this time.

Zurich Municipal now estimates 390,000 teaching hours could be lost in the next year as a result of large fires alone, causing disruption for 28,000 children, who may already be struggling to catch up following school closures during the pandemic.

The findings – based on Home Office data from all 44 fire authorities in England –has led to renewed calls for mandatory sprinklers to be fitted in new and refurbished schools, bringing the country into line with Wales and Scotland where they are already compulsory.

Tilden Watson, Zurich Municipal’s Head of Education, said: “Young people have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic. Ministers must ensure no more classroom time is lost for a generation that has already fallen behind. These figures highlight the devastating impact of fires on the school estate. Unless the government changes the law on sprinklers, accidental and malicious fires will continue to blight schools and children’s futures.”

Between April 2015 and April 2020, 1,467 primary schools and 834 secondary schools were hit by blazes. Just two per cent of these schools were fitted with sprinklers. Zurich estimates the average repair bill for large fires alone is £2.9m, with some fires costing up to £20m.

The findings come as the government embarks on one of the biggest school building booms in recent times, with £1bn being poured into rebuilding 50 schools over the next five years.

But Zurich warns that, without sprinklers, fire could damage five times as many schools as will be improved under the government’s rebuilding programme.

Watson said: “Fire won’t just wipe out progress in improving the condition of schools, it will send it into reverse.  It makes no economic sense to pump millions of pounds into refurbishing schools without protecting them with sprinklers. Sprinklers are proven to contain the spread of blazes and limit the damage they inflict.”

As part of its “levelling up” agenda, the government intends to target 70% of its £1bn funding at schools in the Midlands and North. Zurich’s analysis, however, shows that three out of the five fire authorities with the highest rates of school blazes - Greater Manchester, West Midlands and West Yorkshire - fall in these regions.  Watson said this makes the case for sprinklers in new and refurbished schools even more pressing.  

Watson added: “It’s absolutely right that the government invests in these areas. But without protection from sprinklers, fires will continue to break out unchecked.  The Prime Minister must prove his ambitions to ‘level up’ Britain are more than a slogan.  This means protecting schools that are crucial to the North’s economic success.  Children get only one chance at an education; every extra day missed harms their attainment and life chances.  The government’s failure to mandate sprinklers in schools is exposing pupils, teachers and firefighters to an unnecessary level of risk.  It’s not just life safety the government should be concerned about, but the impact of all too frequent school fires on children’s life chances.”

When a school fire breaks out, Zurich’s analysis suggests there is a one in three (32%) chance of it spreading beyond the initial item ignited, potentially going on to cause serious damage.