Fire risk assessments for
nurseries & early years settings.
Properly assessed, from £295.
A nursery has the most vulnerable occupants of any premises we assess. Infants who cannot walk, toddlers who cannot follow instructions, and children asleep at nap time all change how an evacuation has to work. We carry out fire risk assessments for private nurseries, pre-schools, and early years settings across the North West, built around the way very young children actually behave in an emergency.
Who is the Responsible Person in a nursery?
It depends on how your setting is run, and many owners hold this duty without realising the full extent of it.
The owner or operator is the Responsible Person and the employer. If you run the setting, the legal duty under the fire safety order rests with you, regardless of who you have asked to manage day-to-day fire safety.
Where the nursery sits inside a school or academy, the governing body or academy trust is usually the Responsible Person, although the setting still needs its own assessment reflecting the early years rooms.
If you lease your premises or share a building, responsibility may be split between you and the landlord. Common escape routes and shared areas need to be covered by someone, and gaps here are common.
A childminder operating from genuinely non-domestic premises carries the duty themselves. Settings in a private home are treated differently, and we can advise on which applies to you.
The problems we
hear most often
Fire safety in a nursery is usually managed by the owner or manager alongside ratios, Ofsted, safeguarding, and everything else. These are the gaps we find most regularly.
"Ofsted is due and we have been asked to show our fire risk assessment. We are not sure ours is current, or detailed enough."
Ofsted registration under the early years framework requires an emergency evacuation procedure and a current fire risk assessment. Inspectors routinely ask to see both. We produce a clear, dated assessment with a prioritised action log that gives an inspector exactly the evidence they look for, and that reflects your actual rooms and ratios rather than a generic template.
"We have expanded into a new room, taken on a baby unit upstairs, or moved premises, and nobody has reviewed the assessment."
Any material change to your layout should trigger a review. A baby room on a first floor, in particular, raises the question of how non-walking infants are evacuated down a staircase, and that needs a specific plan rather than an assumption. We reassess the setting as it exists now, including every room and every age group.
"We took over an existing setting and inherited a folder of paperwork. We do not know what is still valid."
Buying or taking over a nursery means inheriting whatever the previous operator left behind, which is often out of date or written for a different layout. We give you a fresh, documented baseline so you know exactly where you stand from day one, with clear recommendations for keeping it current.
What makes nurseries
different to assess
A nursery is not a small school. The occupants are younger, less mobile, and in some cases asleep, and the assessment has to be built around that reality.
Evacuating babies
Infants who cannot walk cannot self-evacuate. The assessment has to account for how staff move several non-walking children at once, what equipment is used such as evacuation cots or buggies, and whether the available staff can achieve it within a safe time, particularly from upper floors.
Nap time evacuation
Children asleep during the day are a recognised higher-risk scenario, because they take longer to rouse and move. Sleep rooms, the supervision of them, and the procedure for evacuating sleeping children need specific attention rather than a general assumption that everyone is awake and alert.
Evacuation depends on numbers
Early years settings work to statutory staff-to-child ratios, and those same staff are the people who carry out an evacuation. The assessment has to test whether your normal staffing can actually evacuate every child, including the youngest, and what happens if a member of staff is absent.
Everyday ignition sources
Most settings have a kitchen for meals and bottles, and often a laundry for bedding and accident changes. Cooking, tumble dryers, and the build-up of lint are routine causes of fire in this type of premises and need to be assessed properly, not overlooked because they feel domestic.
Escape versus security
Nurseries are designed to stop small children leaving, with stair gates, keypad doors, and secured exits. These same measures can slow an evacuation if they are not thought through. The assessment has to balance child security against the need to get everyone out quickly.
Older converted buildings
Many settings occupy converted houses, church halls, or older buildings where the wiring, heating, and compartmentation were never designed for childcare use. The age and condition of the building itself is a material factor that we assess directly.
Evacuation procedures — what early years settings need
Your fire risk assessment should connect directly to a written emergency evacuation procedure that staff know and rehearse. For a nursery that means a plan that names who accounts for which children, how registers and contact details leave the building, how non-walking and sleeping children are moved, and where everyone assembles. We review your procedure alongside the assessment and advise on whether it is realistic for your staffing and your building.
Three services.
One point of contact.
Fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, and fire safety training, delivered by one consultant who understands the specific demands of an early years environment.
Fire risk assessments
From £295 per assessmentA thorough, room-by-room assessment of your setting, built around your age groups, your ratios, and your building. Clear written report, prioritised action list, and documentation suitable for Ofsted and the fire authority.
- Every room assessed, including baby and sleep rooms
- Evacuation plan reviewed for non-walking and sleeping children
- Kitchen, laundry, and heating hazards assessed
- Staffing tested against realistic evacuation
- Written report suitable for Ofsted and fire authority
- Prioritised, plain-English action log
Fire door inspections
From £14 per doorNurseries rely heavily on fire doors to protect escape routes and sleep rooms. 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
- Hold-open devices checked for compliance
- Photographic evidence per door
- Prioritised remedial recommendations
Fire safety training
From £395 per sessionPractical, on-site training for your staff, focused on the realities of evacuating very young children rather than a generic workplace session.
- Fire marshal training for setting staff
- Evacuating non-walking and sleeping children
- Roll-call, registers, and parent contact procedures
- Hands-on extinguisher use on a live fire
- Certificates issued to all attendees
The framework
early years settings work within
Nurseries answer to the fire authority and to Ofsted, and the early years framework adds its own specific duties on top of fire safety law.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all non-domestic premises, including nurseries and pre-schools. The Responsible Person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, act on what it finds, and keep a written record. For an early years setting, suitable and sufficient means an assessment that genuinely reflects non-walking infants, sleeping children, and your actual staffing.
The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires every provider to have an emergency evacuation procedure and to keep fire detection and control equipment in working order. Ofsted treats these as core welfare requirements, so they are checked directly at inspection alongside the fire risk assessment itself.
Because early years providers are inspected by Ofsted under the Early Years Inspection Framework, weak or missing fire safety documentation is not just a fire safety failing, it can affect the inspection judgement. A current assessment, a rehearsed evacuation procedure, and drill records together give an inspector the assurance they are looking for.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Always appliesThe core legislation. Requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for all non-domestic premises including nurseries. Failure to comply can result in unlimited fines or prohibition of the building.
EYFS statutory framework
Early years dutyRequires providers to have an emergency evacuation procedure and to keep fire safety equipment maintained. Treated as a core welfare requirement and checked at inspection.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
From January 2023Requires Responsible Persons to record fire safety measures, provide information to relevant persons, and keep records of checks and actions. Applies to nursery premises.
Ofsted early years inspection
Inspection riskFire risk assessment, evacuation procedure, and drill records are reviewed at inspection. Gaps can affect the welfare and safeguarding judgement.
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 nurseries, pre-schools, and early years settings of every kind, from converted houses to purpose-built day nurseries. He understands the particular challenge of a setting full of children who cannot evacuate themselves. 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 groups running more than one setting, Sam's operational background means we can work across your settings systematically, with consistent documentation and a single contact for your central team.
- 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 setting.
Whether you need a fresh assessment, a review of inherited paperwork, or training for your staff ahead of an Ofsted inspection, we can help. Call us for an honest conversation with no obligation.