Which Regulations and Guidance Apply to Fire Doors in Schools and Colleges?
Fire door compliance in education buildings sits within a risk-based legal framework. In England and Wales, the core duty is under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, with later clarification through the Fire Safety Act 2021. These duties require the Responsible Person to manage and maintain general fire precautions, including any fire doors relied upon for escape routes or compartmentation.
Key point for schools: The law requires fire precautions to be maintained, but it does not set a single fixed inspection interval for every education site. Your fire risk assessment should define the checking and inspection regime, taking account of usage, risk profile, and building layout.
| Type | What It Covers | What It Means for Schools and Colleges | Related Arrow Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire safety law | Day-to-day duties, fire risk management, maintenance of precautions | Fire doors should be maintained as part of general fire precautions, with defects identified and addressed. | Fire Door Regulations page for further information |
| Building regulations | Design and construction requirements for new build and refurbishment | Helps define where fire doors are required and what rating is specified in the building’s fire strategy. | Fire Door Installation page for further information |
| British Standards | Recognised benchmarks for installation, inspection, and management | Often used to structure inspection regimes and reporting, especially across multi-site estates. | BS 9999 page for further information |
| Fire risk assessment | Site-specific controls and maintenance regime | Identifies which doors are critical, how often they should be checked, and what records are needed. | Our inspection reporting is built to support estates teams and compliance files across education sites. |
If you manage an education estate, consistency is more effective than guesswork. A clear door register, supported by standardised inspection reporting, is usually the fastest route to stronger compliance.
Who Is Responsible for Fire Doors in a School or College?
The Responsible Person is the duty holder under fire safety law. In education settings, this is typically the employer, governing body, academy trust, or the organisation with control of the premises. Where responsibilities are shared, parties should cooperate and coordinate so fire door management does not fall into the classic gap between estates, operations, and contractors.
What the Responsible Person should ensure for fire doors
- Identify and register each fire door and its location, including doors on escape routes and doors protecting higher-risk rooms.
- Keep doors operational so they close properly, latch where required, and are not obstructed or wedged open.
- Set an inspection regime based on the fire risk assessment, adjusting for usage and known problem areas.
- Fix defects promptly using compatible components and competent installers, with clear close-out evidence.
- Maintain records that demonstrate what was checked, what was found, and what was done.
We support schools and trusts through a joined-up programme that covers inspection, reporting, repairs and planned maintenance across single sites and multi-site estates.
What Counts as a Fire Door in a School?
In education buildings, a fire door should be treated as a complete fire doorset, not just the door leaf. The performance depends on the whole assembly working together as designed, including the frame, hinges, closer, latch or lock, seals, and glazing system where fitted.
Fire and Smoke Control
Fire doors help slow the spread of fire and smoke, protecting escape routes and compartment lines that support safe evacuation.
Reliable Self-Closing
A fire door that does not close fully and consistently cannot deliver the protection it is intended to provide.
Compatible Components
Hardware swaps and glazing changes should remain compatible with the doorset. Improvised fixes are a common cause of non-compliance.
Practical rule: If the door protects an escape route or a higher-risk space, treat it as a critical safety asset. Put it in the register, check it, and close defects quickly.
Where steel fire-rated doors are specified in education and public sector buildings, our Fire Protection Doors page provides further information on robust, compliant options suited to high-use environments.
Where Fire Doors Are Commonly Required in Schools and Colleges
Fire doors are installed where the building’s fire strategy relies on protected routes and compartmentation. Exact door locations vary by layout and fire risk assessment, but education buildings share common patterns due to high occupancy and heavy daily use.
- stairwells, lobbies and protected corridors
- cross-corridor doors where used to control smoke spread
- doors relied upon to protect final exit routes in key areas
- kitchens and food technology spaces
- DT rooms, workshops and labs where relevant
- plant rooms, electrical cupboards and storage areas
- between building wings, blocks, or sections
- around large-volume spaces where compartmentation is used
- to limit smoke travel through circulation routes
School-specific reality: doors on main circulation routes take the most abuse. A strong inspection regime prioritises these first, then expands across the full register.
Inspection Frequency in Schools: What Regular Should Look Like
Fire safety law requires fire doors and other precautions to be maintained. In practice, the inspection frequency should be set by the fire risk assessment and adjusted for usage, risk, and condition. Many organisations use recognised benchmarks to structure programmes, then increase frequency in high-traffic areas such as main corridors, stairwells, and teaching blocks.
Three Layers of Checking
- Daily awareness: doors not wedged open, exits not obstructed, obvious damage flagged quickly.
- Routine site checks: planned checks focusing on high-use routes and repeat problem doors.
- Formal inspection: recorded inspections by a competent person, supported by a clear remedial plan.
When to Increase Frequency
- doors on main circulation routes
- repeat failures with closers or latching
- frequent impact damage and heavy footfall
- after refurbishment, access control changes, or layout changes
- where safeguarding and security changes affect door hardware
Common Fire Door Faults We See in Schools
Education sites are busy, high-traffic environments. Most compliance failures come from heavy daily use, impact damage, and quick fixes that unintentionally undermine doorset performance.
A useful rule for busy sites: treat repeat faults as a system issue, not a one-off repair. If the same door fails repeatedly, the underlying cause usually needs addressing, such as closer selection, usage patterns, or protection against impact.
Repairs, Upgrades, and Replacements in Education Buildings
Schools and colleges change constantly. Rooms are repurposed, access control is added, safeguarding measures evolve, and busy circulation routes take a lot of wear. Any change that affects the door leaf, frame, seals, closer, latch, glazing, or ironmongery should be treated as a fire safety change and recorded.
| Common Change in Schools | Why It Matters | What Good Practice Looks Like |
|---|---|---|
| Access control additions | Hardware changes can affect latching, closing and compatibility | Use compatible solutions, verify closing behaviour, record what changed and why. |
| Room repurposing | Risk profile and fire load may change | Check whether door requirements and inspection priorities should change too. |
| High-traffic damage | Impact damage and wear can cause gaps, misalignment and seal loss | Prioritise high-use routes, close defects promptly, and re-check after repair. |
| Refurbishment works | Layout changes can alter escape routes and compartment reliance | Update the door register, then re-baseline inspections post-works. |
What schools usually need: a simple process that flags defects early, fixes them properly, and keeps a clear audit trail. See our Fire Door Repairs page for further information.
Evidence and Records: What You Need for Audits and Compliance
Schools rarely get challenged because they have no fire doors. They get challenged because they cannot demonstrate management. A simple, repeatable evidence set will support governance, enforcement visits, insurer requirements, and internal audits.
Door ID, location, rating where known, and what role the door plays in escape routes or compartment lines.
Dates, findings, photos where useful, priorities, and the person completing the inspection.
What was repaired, what materials were used, and confirmation the defect is resolved.
Log of refurbishments or hardware changes that might affect doorset performance.
If your estate includes different building ages and layouts, a consistent register-led approach makes audits faster and reduces the risk of gaps between sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do schools and colleges legally need fire doors?
Schools and colleges must have suitable fire precautions as part of managing fire risk. Fire doors are used where the building’s fire strategy relies on protected escape routes or compartmentation. The exact requirements depend on the building’s design and the fire risk assessment.
Do the same rules apply to colleges, sixth forms and further education sites?
Yes. Fire safety duties apply to non-residential educational premises, including further education buildings. The duty holder must ensure fire precautions, including fire doors, are managed and maintained appropriately.
How often do school fire doors need inspecting?
The law requires fire precautions to be maintained. Inspection frequency should be set by the fire risk assessment and adjusted for usage, condition, and site risk. Many organisations use recognised benchmarks to structure programmes, then increase frequency in high-traffic areas.
Can we keep a fire door open during the day?
A wedged-open fire door cannot perform its function. If there is an operational need, use an appropriate solution that releases on alarm and is managed as part of the site’s fire safety arrangements.
What is the difference between FD30 and FD60?
FD30 and FD60 are fire resistance ratings. The required rating depends on the building’s fire strategy and what the door is designed to protect, such as an escape route or compartment line.
Fire Door Compliance Support for Schools and Colleges
We support education estates with inspection, reporting, repairs, installation and planned maintenance programmes that are built around practical delivery and clear evidence. If you need a consistent approach across multiple sites, we can help you implement a register-led programme with clear priorities and close-out reporting.
