Rush to fix "serious" school fire risks before start of new term

Thursday 31 August 2023

Work is underway to mitigate dozens of "serious" fire risks identified in 15 schools – over half of which were outstanding in early August – before the beginning of the new school term, Express has learned.

A total of 50 risks were identified when assessments of CYPES (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) buildings were carried out throughout the past 18 months.

Following those assessments, Education Minister Deputy Inna Gardiner confirmed that "short-term operational mitigations were put in place for the 2022-2023 academic year".

However, a follow up review in July 2023 revealed that more than half of the serious risks were still yet to be mitigated. At the start of this month, 28 risks across various buildings, including Highlands, still needed to be addressed.

Deputy Gardiner explained that the assessments were "not designed to 'pass' or 'fail' buildings", but rather to uncover individual risks across CYPES premises.

Among the changes that had to be made in one school – which the Government did not identify – to mitigate the "serious" fire risk was replacing a computer suite in a corridor with laptops for students.

Pictured: One school had to swap computers in a corridor for laptops to mitigate risk.

Deputy Gardiner said that the work was being carried out by CYPES and Jersey Property Holdings, and that outstanding risks were "on track to be mitigated by the start of the autumn term, in time for students to return to schools [on Monday 4 September]".

Express asked for the cost of the remedial work but was told this could not be provided "because the work is ongoing". However, the Minister pledged to "provide an update on this in due course".

Deputy Gardiner said that "ensuring the safety of children and staff in our schools is non-negotiable", adding: "Many of our school buildings (some of which are heritage buildings) were built before current fire regulations and were designed to accommodate a smaller number of children, with a narrower range of needs. 

"Headteachers in these schools have worked hard to make the best use of the space available to them, and this includes repurposing spaces to provide the best possible facilities for pupils."

Pictured: Deputy Gardiner said the safety of children and staff in schools is "non-negotiable".

Teaching union representative Marina Mauger, from the NASUWT, said she was confident that the Education Department "takes such risks very seriously" and that schools wouldn't open at the start of term if they weren't ready.

"If a building doesn't meet fire regulations and Jersey Property Holdings, who are responsible for education, deemed it to be a risk, the department would simply close a school," she added.

"They would never put a child at risk. Those children would be relocated to another school."

Which schools were affected?

The Education Department confirmed that the schools which experienced "serious issues" were: d'Auvergne, Grands Vaux, Grouville, Jersey College for Girls, La Sente, La Moye, Les Landes, Samarès, Springfield, St Luke, St Mary, St Saviour, Trinity, Victoria College Prep, Victoria College Jersey.

What were the risks?

The Government did not provide a list of individual risks affecting each school when asked by Express, but did provide the following examples of mitigations that had to be put in place:

• replacing PCs with laptops to minimise risk from computer suites housed in corridors;

• upgrading non-slip matting and handrails for to meet modern requirements;

• clearing obstructions, such as coats hung on hooks, in corridors and circulation areas to aid evacuation;

• installing additional emergency lighting; and

• installing walls around staircases to reduce the risk of fire spreading.