Fire Causes Major Disruption At West Yorkshire Primary School
By Iain Cox, Chair of Business Sprinkler Alliance.
At a time when schools across the UK are returning to a new normal following two years of disruption, a primary school in Halifax is faced with significant challenges and upheaval following a major fire. The fire that broke out at the unsprinklered Ash Green Primary School destroyed a quarter of the key stage two block and is another stark reminder of the impact a fire can have on the entire school population.
The fire at Ash Green Primary School in Mixenden on February 1st required 10 crews and one aerial ladder platform from the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Whilst the Fire and Rescue service brought the fire under control there was extensive damage to the single-storey upper school building and the school has effectively closed to deal with the aftermath. The school had no sprinklers fitted and the impact will be felt by over 500 pupils, many of whom will have to be displaced to temporary or further alternative spaces whilst the building is reconstructed.
The government acknowledges that missing lessons has an impact on attainment at key stages. The impact of school fires such as this and the disruption that they cause can reduce the results of the students, and the government’s own statistics therefore affirm this.
Often people miss the point that fires do not have to damage an entire school to cause disruption. It is all about educational space and the loss of the upper school annex in this case cannot be made up by using alternative space as the school doesn’t have the capacity. Some may assume that schools are designed to withstand the risks they will be exposed to whether that is fire, flood, or storm, etc. Too often a building is conceived without due consideration as to the impact of those risks over the life of the building.
From disruption to education, to their impact on finances and the local community, fires in schools must be avoided. Although sprinkler systems are a celebrated solution to contain such events and are mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and encouraged in Wales, their effectiveness has not led to successful implementation across all UK schools. Sprinklers would help contain a fire and limit the potential damage, meaning the interruption to education would be minimised.
With the impact of a blaze so devastating, how many more fires like the one in Mixenden need to occur and children’s education disrupted before sprinkler installation becomes a prerequisite of school design and safety? Every extra day missed harms a children’s attainment and their life chances.
Image Credit: @CurtisCato
