County Council refuses to pledge to install sprinklers at Derbyshire schools despite costly Long Eaton blaze

The county council has refused to pledge to install sprinklers in all Derbyshire schools as new figures show there are nine in the county without them.

A Freedom of Information request filed to Derbyshire County Council by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found that nine council-controlled schools do not have sprinklers.

Of the nine schools, which cannot be named due to safety concerns, one is a special school, two are secondary schools and six are infant and junior schools.

This comes after Harrington Junior School in Long Eaton was destroyed by a fire in May 2020, with no sprinklers installed to prevent the total loss of the building and disruption to its pupils and staff.

That incident, along with two schools destroyed by fires lit by an arsonist in Derby in the same year, led to Gavin Tomlinson, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service’s then chief fire officer, to urge councils to install sprinklers in all new schools and in all major renovations of existing schools.

This was agreed by both Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council.

Mr Tomlinson had stressed that it was purely a financial reason not to install sprinklers but indicated that the cost was far less than the price of replacing a whole school, should one burn down due to not having sprinklers.

The going rate for a new primary school in Derbyshire is now around £8 million, an Erewash Borough Council inquiry hearing was told last year.

Meanwhile, the most recent price for a planned secondary school in Derbyshire, the Infinity Park Spencer Academy, was £27 million in 2020.

A report from Worcestershire County Council in 2004 estimated that the average cost of retrofitting a medium-sized secondary school (1,500 square metres) with sprinklers was £83,500, with a £1,000 annual maintenance fee.

The same report said the average cost to fit sprinklers in a new-build school is 5 per cent of the overall cost – £400,000 for a £8 million primary school or £1.35 million for a £27 million secondary school.

A report from the Chief Fire Officers Association and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2013 said the average cost of retrofitting a primary school containing 125 to 150 pupils with sprinklers was £65,000.

Five years later and with a new Reform administration, the council oversees 419 schools and all but nine have sprinklers, with the previous pledge being upheld.

Cllr Jack Bradley, Reform’s new cabinet member for education, who also represents Long Eaton, was asked if the new administration would pledge to install sprinklers in the remaining schools.

He said: “I cannot make pledges until I am in full possession of the facts. This matter is under review and any further discussion would be wrong to do so at this time.

“I remember the 2020 fire at Harrington school well, as that was the school my sister attended, and I fully understand concerns that parents may have around the safety of schools in this respect. 

“From April 1st, 2025, all maintained Derbyshire schools are insured by the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) which is administered by the Department for Education (DfE). 

“As DCC no longer insure schools, from an insurance perspective we would be less specific about the insurance requirement for sprinklers in schools – historically, our insurers specified the need for sprinklers in new builds as an insurance requirement or evidence of fire mitigation.  

“All our schools are fitted with fire alarms and detection systems to ensure rapid means of escape. 

“The installation of sprinklers is not related to the protection of life. Sprinkler installations are associated with the protection of property and the desire to limit fire damage. This requirement is related to risk and insurance requirements.

“I am dedicated to ensuring children have a safe space for learning.”

Clive Stanbrook, deputy chief fire officer at Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, said: “Sprinklers are a proven and highly effective fire safety measure that can extinguish a fire or contain it until the arrival of fire crews. 

“Beyond their immediate benefit, sprinklers help prevent the devastating impact that a fire can have on young people’s education, the wider community, and the significant financial cost of rebuilding a school as a result of fire.  

“Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service continues to support the statement of intent signed in November 2020 by both Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, which demonstrates a shared commitment to installing sprinklers and appropriate fire safety measures in all new build schools as well as those undergoing renovation, refurbishment or extension. 

“We remain dedicated to working with our partners to protect schools across Derby and Derbyshire to ensure the highest standards of fire safety in our schools.” 

The price of the Harrington Junior School replacement in Long Eaton was £5.5 million – an estimated 65 times the estimated cost of installing sprinklers in the former building.