Schools and Education passive fire protection
Fire door surveys, repairs and installation plus fire stopping for schools, academies, colleges and universities, planned around term time.
BM TRADA Q-Mark certified
OneTrace digital records
Site survey and quote
Passive fire protection for schools and education
Schools are among the hardest buildings to keep fire-safe. Hundreds of children pass through the same doors every hour, classrooms are refitted every summer, ICT and heating upgrades run new services through walls, and most of the estate was built before anyone recorded where the fire compartments were. TECS works with schools, academy trusts, colleges and universities across London, the South East, East Anglia and the East Midlands to bring fire doors and compartmentation back to a known, recorded standard and keep them there.
We plan everything around the school year. Surveys run during term with minimal disruption to teaching; remedial work, replacements and fire stopping are programmed for half terms and the summer break, block by block, so each area is handed back finished before pupils return.
What the regulations require
Every school in England is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The Responsible Person, usually the headteacher, trust or local authority, must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep fire doors and compartmentation in efficient working order. Building Bulletin 100 sets the design standard for new and refurbished school buildings, and Ofsted and the Department for Education expect to see evidence that fire safety recommendations have been acted on. Boarding schools and student accommodation are also covered by the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 where they are residential buildings over 11 metres. Our guide to fire safety responsibilities explains who holds each duty.
Typical scope in a school
Door-by-door fire door survey of the whole estate, with photos, gaps, seals, closers, glazing and signage recorded for each door
Prioritised remedial programme: ease and adjust, hinge and closer replacement, intumescent and smoke seal renewal, glazing and signage
Replacement FD30 and FD60 doorsets where doors are beyond economic repair, including classroom, corridor, kitchen and plant room doors
Compartmentation survey of corridors, ceiling voids, risers and plant rooms, followed by fire stopping of cable, pipe and duct penetrations
Annual re-inspection and a planned maintenance contract so the school starts each year from a known baseline
How we work on school sites
All TECS operatives carry enhanced DBS checks and sign in under the school’s safeguarding procedures. We work in agreed zones, keep tools and materials secured, and leave each area clean and usable at the end of every shift. Where work must happen in term time, for example a failed door on an escape route, we attend out of hours or in a contained area agreed with the site manager.
Services schools use most
Fire door inspections, fire door repairs, fire door installation, compartmentation surveys, fire stopping and planned maintenance.
Case studies
We surveyed 168 fire doors at Harlington Upper School and 199 at Samuel Whitbread Academy, then delivered the remedial programmes that followed. At Mulberry School for Girls a compartmentation survey of 54 locations led to fire stopping remedials and door replacements across the site.
Every door and seal recorded
Every door and penetration is recorded in OneTrace with a unique ID, photographs, products used and a pass or fail status. The school business manager, the trust estates team and the fire risk assessor can all see the live record, so the evidence is ready for the next risk assessment, insurer visit or inspection. Read more on why third-party certification matters when choosing a contractor for a school.
At a glance
