While the number of school fires has decreased in recent years, fire still presents a significant risk to schools, pupils, staff, and their surrounding communities.
The short-term effects, such as the loss of facilities and equipment, can be measured. However, longer-term impacts — including the loss of coursework, disruption to classes, relocation, and reduced morale — are far harder to quantify. A major fire can disrupt a child’s education for many months and may result in the postponement of tests and exams.
Building Bulletin 100: The Blueprint for fire-resilient school design
Building Bulletin 100 (BB100) was introduced by the Department for Education and developed to guide architects, contractors, designers, and building control officers. The official guidance sets out essential fire safety design principles for schools, aligning with current Building Regulations and Approved Document B.
BB100 sets clear guidelines for improving fire standards when designing or refurbishing schools, prioritising the protection of both occupants and structures. The bulletin focuses on three key areas:
- Life safety – Ensuring pupils and staff can evacuate quickly and safely in the event of a fire.
- Property protection – Minimising the spread of fire and protecting the building’s structure using non-combustible materials.
- Educational and community continuity – Reducing disruption to the educational and community use of school facilities.
It establishes high requirements for external wall cladding to ensure it performs effectively under fire conditions. For high-rise and high-risk buildings over 18m in height (revised to 11m following updates to UK regulations), materials should generally be classified as A1 or A2 (non-combustible or of limited combustibility).
For lower-height schools, BB100 still requires careful control of fire spread and the avoidance of rapid flame spread over the façade.
Delivering fire-safe façades for modern schools
Rockpanel cladding is manufactured from basalt, an abundant volcanic rock that is naturally non-combustible and dimensionally stable. It achieves a Euroclass A2-s1,d0 fire classification to BS EN 13501-1 — meaning it is of limited combustibility to non-combustible and will not contribute to a fire or its spread.
This classification strongly aligns with the requirements set out in both BB100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools and Approved Document B, both of which emphasise the importance of non-combustible cladding materials for buildings where occupant safety is paramount.
The A2 rating of Rockpanel helps prevent rapid external flame spread, significantly reducing the risk of fire travelling up the building façade. The s1 rating indicates minimal smoke production, while d0 means no flaming droplets fall during fire exposure — both critical factors in maintaining safe evacuation routes and potentially preserving the structure’s integrity.
Together, these properties provide more time for safe evacuation and enhance the fire service’s ability to respond effectively — a principle directly supported by BB100’s guidance on safeguarding life through appropriate material selection and façade design.
