Cost Cutting, No Sprinklers for New Schools

New Northumberland schools will not have sprinklers fitted due to cost concerns

The Government-built schools are the first to be built in the county in almost two decades without the fire safety measures

Two schools in Northumberland under construction by the Department for Education will not have sprinkler systems installed due to cost considerations. Ringway Primary School and Cramlington Learning Village will be the first new build schools in the county not to have sprinkler systems fitted in almost two decades.

More than 90% of schools built in Northumberland since 2007 have sprinkler systems to slow down any fires. This includes both council-built schools and three DfE schools built in that time.

However, the two newest schools, which are still under construction, were deemed not to meet the criteria for sprinklers. While sprinkler systems are mandatory in Scotland and Wales, in England guidance only recommends them for special schools and buildings with a storey over 11m high.

This is only guidance and is not mandatory, and exceptions are allowed via “risk assessment and cost benefit analysis” according to a council report. For new build schools in England from 2015, just 8.5% have been fitted with sprinkler systems.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s family and children’s services scrutiny committee, head of school organisation and resources Sue Aviston said:

“Northumberland does buck the trend.  Ninety-two percent of all our new build schools have sprinkler systems. It would be 100% if we didn’t have the DfE schools which don’t have them installed.

‘We try to enforce that through the planning process within Northumberland. We are developing a policy within our new local plan to mandate it in all new schools being built going forward.”

Asked if the Government’s only argument for not installing sprinkler systems was cost, Ms Aviston added:” I think that is the DfE position.”

She pointed out that the cost of installing sprinklers at a large secondary school, such as the recently built Seaton Valley High School, was around £1.25 million. She said: “The implications for the DfE would be quite massive.”

The Management Board of the council – now the cabinet – endorsed the integration of sprinklers into new schools as far back as 2006. Government advice released in 2007 stated that all new schools should have sprinklers unless a risk assessment justified an exception – but the council’s report has stated that this expectation has “weakened” over time.

Because the council’s policy is not part of planning requirements, the DfE decided not to include sprinklers in the two new schools.

Ms Aviston continued:

“We did have a previous decision by the cabinet and a mandate to put sprinklers in all new school buildings, and the DfE did in Prudhoe, Bedlington and Alnwick. What they have done more recently with Ringway and Cramlington Learning Village is they wanted to see something in planning.

‘They weren’t prepared to take previous evidence and policy into consideration which is why they haven’t put them in those buildings.”

Cramlington councillor Wayne Daley, who chairs the committee, said:

“I think it’s quite shocking. Putting a sprinkler system in is absolutely common sense.

“We were extremely disappointed that the DfE didn’t take our good evidence case to install a sprinkler system. If there is a fire in a school, it can be dampened very quickly.

‘We’re putting gold-standard facilities into our schools. The DfE can learn something from us.

“I don’t want people to think there is danger here, but there’s an inconsistency here between the very high standards we have in most of our schools to have that system in and what the DfE have.”

The committee agreed to write to the DfE calling on officials to make sprinkler installation mandatory. Members also agreed to back a new policy in the local plan making it mandatory for any new school in the county to require sprinkler systems.

Source: Chronicle Live