Fire safety for Catholic
schools & academies.
Properly assessed, from £295.
A Catholic school carries a fire safety picture that few other schools share, older parish-built buildings, an on-site chapel or prayer space with candles and incense, whole-school Masses that fill the building with visitors, and a duty split between the governing body and the diocese as trustee of the land. We carry out fire risk assessments for Catholic schools, voluntary aided schools, and diocesan academies across the North West and North Wales, built for the way a Catholic school actually lives and worships.
Who is the Responsible Person in a Catholic school?
It depends on the type of Catholic school, and the duty is usually shared with the diocese in a way that is easy to misread.
The governing body is the employer and Responsible Person for day-to-day fire safety, while the diocesan trust owns the land and buildings. In a voluntary aided school the governing body also carries responsibility for the building fabric, so fire safety works to the building are the school's duty, usually subject to diocesan consent.
Where the school is an academy, the Catholic multi-academy trust is the Responsible Person and employer across its schools, with the diocese as founder and the bishop retaining oversight. The legal duty sits with the trust and is managed locally.
Even where the school manages fire safety day to day, the diocese holds the site in trust, and works to the buildings usually need trustee consent. That can shape how and when fire safety improvements to the fabric are carried out.
In an independent Catholic school, often run by a religious order or charitable trust, the proprietor or governing body is the Responsible Person, with ISI or Ofsted inspection alongside the Catholic Schools Inspectorate.
The problems we
hear most often
Fire safety in a Catholic school is often caught between the school and the diocese, managed by a business manager or site lead alongside everything else. These are the gaps we find most regularly.
"Our buildings belong to the diocese but we run the school day to day, and it is genuinely unclear who arranges, and who pays for, fire safety work."
This is the most common position we find in voluntary aided Catholic schools. The land and buildings sit with the diocesan trust, the governing body runs the school, and fire safety remediation falls somewhere between the two, often needing trustee consent for any work to the fabric. We set out clearly what needs doing and who is best placed to do it, in an action log that both the governing body and the diocese can act on.
"We have an on-site chapel, candles at our liturgies, and whole-school Masses, and we are not confident our fire risk assessment really accounts for them."
Most assessments written for schools never grapple with a sanctuary lamp, votive candles, incense, or a packed candlelit Advent service. A Catholic school uses naked flame as part of normal life in a way an ordinary school does not. We assess the chapel, the prayer spaces, and the liturgical calendar specifically, so the assessment reflects how your school actually worships.
"Ofsted is due, or our foundation governors and the diocese want assurance that fire safety across the school is in order."
Ofsted reviews fire safety arrangements under its safeguarding remit, and foundation governors are accountable to the diocese for the school they hold in trust. A current assessment from a competent assessor, with a clear action log and evidence of staff training, gives Ofsted, your governors, and the diocese exactly the assurance they look for. We produce documentation that is legally compliant and inspection-ready.
What makes Catholic schools
different to assess
A Catholic school is not an ordinary school with a cross on the wall. The way it worships, the buildings it occupies, and the way responsibility is shared with the diocese all change what a suitable assessment has to cover.
Candles, incense & sanctuary lamps
An on-site chapel or prayer space brings naked flame into regular use, from the sanctuary lamp and votive candles to charcoal burned for incense. These are genuine, recurring ignition sources that need specific assessment, suitable holders and surfaces, and clear controls, rather than being passed over as occasional.
Mass, Holy Week & carol services
Whole-school Masses, Advent and Holy Week liturgies, and carol services bring high occupancy, often with parents and parishioners unfamiliar with the building, and sometimes by candlelight. A full building, visitors, and naked flame together need assessing as the event they are, with stewarding and clear evacuation arrangements.
Older, sometimes listed buildings
Many Catholic schools occupy buildings put up by the parish in the nineteenth or early twentieth century, with the compartmentation, timber, and escape characteristics of their age, and some are listed, which constrains alterations. The building itself is a material factor we assess directly rather than assuming modern provision.
Governing body & diocese
The duty divided between the governing body and the diocese as trustee can leave real gaps, particularly where works to the building need trustee consent and neither party is certain who should act. We make the split explicit in the report so nothing falls between the two.
School, hall & church
Catholic schools often share or adjoin parish premises, a parish hall, a presbytery, or the church itself, with use flowing between them and responsibility blurring at the boundary. Out-of-hours parish and community use brings people unfamiliar with the building, which the assessment needs to reflect.
More than governors expect
In a voluntary aided school the governing body is responsible for the external fabric and most building works, unlike a community school where the local authority carries more. Fire safety improvements to the building are therefore the school's own duty, subject to diocesan consent, which many governing bodies do not fully realise until it matters.
Candles, incense and naked flame — assessed, not assumed
A Catholic school uses naked flame as part of ordinary life in a way almost no other school does, from the sanctuary lamp and votive stands in a prayer space to candlelit Advent and Holy Week liturgies and incense at whole-school Masses. These need to be assessed as the genuine, recurring ignition sources they are, with suitable holders and surfaces, sensible supervision, and proper management of the events themselves, rather than treated as occasional one-offs that fall outside the assessment. We assess your chapel, your prayer spaces, and your liturgical calendar as part of the fire risk assessment.
Three services.
One point of contact.
Fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, and fire safety training, delivered by one consultant who understands how a Catholic school lives, worships, and shares responsibility with its diocese.
Fire risk assessments
From £295 per assessmentA thorough, site-specific assessment covering every building, including your chapel and prayer spaces and the way your school worships. Clear written report, prioritised action list, and documentation suitable for Ofsted, the fire authority, your governors, and the diocese.
- Whole site assessed, including chapel and prayer spaces
- Liturgical events and whole-school Masses considered
- Candle, incense, and naked-flame controls reviewed
- Older and listed buildings assessed realistically
- Split duty with the diocese set out clearly in the report
- Documentation suitable for Ofsted and foundation governors
Fire door inspections
From £14 per doorCatholic schools rely on fire doors to protect corridors, halls, and the routes used during busy liturgical events. We inspect every component and give you a clear, photographed condition record for each door.
- Frame, leaf, intumescent seals, hinges & hardware
- Self-closing devices and smoke seals
- Corridor, hall, and chapel doors
- Photographic evidence per door
- Prioritised remedial recommendations
Fire safety training
From £395 per sessionPractical, on-site training for teaching and support staff, tailored to a Catholic school, including the safe management of candles and the evacuation of busy liturgical events.
- Fire marshal training for staff
- Managing evacuation during Masses and liturgies
- Candle and naked-flame safety for worship
- Hands-on extinguisher use on a live fire
- Certificates issued to all attendees
The framework
Catholic schools work within
A Catholic school answers to fire safety law and to Ofsted, while the diocese holds the buildings in trust and the Catholic Schools Inspectorate looks after its religious character.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all non-domestic premises, including Catholic schools. The Responsible Person, whether the governing body or the academy trust, must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, implement the measures it identifies, and keep a written record. For a Catholic school, suitable and sufficient means covering the chapel, the candles, and the liturgical events, not just the classrooms.
The DfE's Building Bulletin 100 (BB100) provides the fire safety guidance for schools that fire authorities most commonly reference, and an assessment that aligns with it carries more weight with an inspector. Where the school occupies older or listed parish buildings, that guidance has to be applied with a realistic eye to what the building allows.
Fire safety in a Catholic school also sits within its trustee structure. The diocese holds the site in trust, and works to the buildings usually need trustee consent, so the diocese has a direct interest in the assessment and its actions. Ofsted reviews fire safety under safeguarding and premises, while the Catholic Schools Inspectorate inspects the school's Catholic life, religious education, and collective worship, and does not assess fire safety, so fire compliance remains with the school, the fire authority, and the trustees.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Always appliesThe core legislation. Requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for all non-domestic premises including Catholic schools. Failure to comply can result in unlimited fines or prohibition of the building.
DfE Building Bulletin 100 (BB100)
Schools guidanceGuidance from the Department for Education on fire safety in schools. The primary reference for fire authorities, applied with care where the school occupies older or listed parish buildings.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
From January 2023Requires Responsible Persons to record fire safety measures, provide information to relevant persons, and maintain records of all checks and actions. Applies to Catholic schools in England.
Diocesan trustee consent
Catholic estateThe diocese holds the school's land and buildings in trust, and works to the fabric usually need trustee consent. Foundation governors are accountable to the diocese for the estate they hold.
Experience you can
put in a report.
Tim founded Fletcher Risk Management to bring genuine expertise and personal accountability to fire safety consultancy in the North West. With more than 30 years in the fire industry, he has assessed Catholic and faith schools across the region, and understands the things that make them different, the chapel and its candles, the liturgical calendar, the older parish-built buildings, and the duty shared with the diocese as trustee. Whether your diocese is Shrewsbury, Liverpool, Wrexham, Salford, or Lancaster, when you book with Fletcher Risk, Tim carries out the work.
- ABBE Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment
- NEBOSH National General Certificate
- FPA Fire Safety Management Certificate
- Member — Fire Protection Association
Sam oversees operations and documentation, so you have one point of contact and a consistent standard of reporting. For diocesan trusts and families of Catholic schools, that means consistent documentation across your schools and a single point of contact, with the diocese's interest as trustee reflected throughout.
- ABBE Level 4 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- 10+ years fire safety experience
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites for a very important client. The work produced exceeded our expectations by far. I would definitely recommend using this company." — Marie Morgan · EIS Ltd ★★★★★
"Without doubt one of the best and most professional businesses I have used for our Fire Risk Assessment. Tim Fletcher is a highly regarded professional in his field. Don't take a chance — protect your staff, protect your building."
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites. I would never hesitate to send Tim — always professional, friendly and accommodating. The work exceeded our expectations."
"Thorough, professional, and excellent value. The report was clear and the action points prioritised in a way that made it easy to know exactly what to tackle first. Would recommend without hesitation."
Book an assessment
built for your school.
Whether you need a fresh assessment, a review that finally accounts for your chapel and liturgies, or help making sense of the split duty with your diocese, we can help. Call us for an honest conversation with no obligation.