Is an annual fire risk assessment review a legal requirement?

No fixed annual interval is prescribed by the Fire Safety Order. The duty is to review regularly and whenever there is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. DfE estate guidance advises schools to consider review annually, or at least every three years, but this is official guidance rather than a statutory frequency.

What counts as a significant change requiring a new review?

Building work, a change of layout or room use, new or relocated modular classrooms, a change in occupancy such as lettings or a nursery opening, new storage or processes, a fire or near miss, a change of responsible person, or a fire and rescue service audit finding.

Who can review a school fire risk assessment?

The responsible person must appoint someone competent — with the training, knowledge, skills and experience appropriate to the building. A well-briefed premises lead can carry out an interim documented review of an existing assessment; the full periodic reassessment of a complex school site normally warrants a competent external fire risk assessor.

What is the difference between reviewing and redoing a fire risk assessment?

A review checks whether the existing assessment still describes the building, the people and the risks, and whether the actions have been closed. A reassessment starts again from the building as it now stands. Reviews keep the document alive between reassessments; they do not replace them indefinitely.

How Often Should a School Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?

Short answer

The Fire Safety Order does not prescribe a fixed annual review interval. Current DfE Good Estate Management for Schools guidance says schools should consider reviewing their fire risk assessment annually, or at least every three years. This is official DfE guidance rather than a statutory review frequency, and an earlier review will be necessary where the assessment may no longer be valid or significant changes have occurred.

What the law actually says

Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks, and to keep it under review. It must be reviewed if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid, or if there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates. Where the premises are subject to review, changes must be made where necessary.

The Order gives a trigger-based duty rather than a fixed calendar interval. Current DfE Good Estate Management for Schools guidance says schools should consider reviewing their assessment annually, or at least every three years. This is official DfE guidance rather than a statutory review frequency, and an earlier review will be necessary where the assessment may no longer be valid or significant changes have occurred.

From 1 October 2023, amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 made through section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 require all Responsible Persons to record their fire risk assessment in full and record their fire-safety arrangements. Additional duties under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 principally concern specified residential buildings and should not be treated as applying wholesale to ordinary educational premises.

A practical review cycle for a school

Every term — check open fire risk assessment actions at the health and safety committee or leadership meeting. Not a review of the assessment, but the thing that keeps it honest.
In line with DfE estate guidance — consider a documented review annually, or at least every three years, while recognising that this is official guidance rather than a statutory interval.
When a more comprehensive reassessment is needed — determine this by the condition and complexity of the premises, changes since the previous assessment, previous findings and whether the existing assessment remains suitable and sufficient. Do not rely on the passage of a fixed number of years where circumstances indicate that an earlier reassessment is necessary.
On trigger — immediately, whenever one of the events below occurs.

Triggers for an earlier review

Building, refurbishment or roofing work, including cable runs through compartment walls
New or relocated modular classrooms, or a change of room use such as a store becoming a classroom
A change in occupancy — a nursery opening, boarding, wraparound care or regular lettings
New processes or storage, particularly DT, science, kitchens and battery charging
A fire, an unwanted alarm pattern, or a significant near miss
A fire and rescue service audit, notice or informal advice
A new responsible person, or a change of premises contractor
A pupil or member of staff whose needs change the evacuation strategy

What a good review actually checks

A review is not a re-read. Working through the building with the assessment in hand, you are testing whether each of these still holds:

The plans and room uses match what is there today
Every action from the last assessment is closed, with evidence — not just marked "in progress"
Escape routes are clear, doors are on their closers and compartmentation is intact
Testing records are current: weekly alarm, monthly emergency lighting, annual servicing
Drills have happened, been varied, and produced lessons that were acted on
Personal emergency evacuation plans exist for everyone who needs one and are current
Fire wardens and the roll-call arrangement still work with the current staffing

In my experience the review rarely fails on the document. It fails on the actions. A school with a twelve-month-old assessment and every action closed is in a far stronger position than a school with a brand-new assessment and a list of open items nobody owns. See fire doors in schools for the defect that comes up most often in that action list.

Evidencing it for governors and inspectors

Whatever cycle you set, the evidence needs to be retrievable in a couple of minutes: the current assessment with its date and the assessor's name, the dated review record, the action log showing closure dates, and the last report to the board. Governors do not need the technical detail — they need to see that the assessment is current, who owns it, and how many actions are overdue.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a school fire risk assessment be reviewed?: The Fire Safety Order does not prescribe a fixed annual review interval. Current DfE Good Estate Management for Schools guidance says schools should consider reviewing their fire risk assessment annually, or at least every three years. This is official DfE guidance rather than a statutory review frequency, and an earlier review will be necessary where the assessment may no longer be valid or significant changes have occurred.
Is an annual fire risk assessment review a legal requirement?: No fixed annual interval is prescribed by the Fire Safety Order. The duty is to review regularly and whenever there is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. DfE estate guidance advises schools to consider review annually, or at least every three years, but this is official guidance rather than a statutory frequency.
What counts as a significant change requiring a new review?: Building work, a change of layout or room use, new or relocated modular classrooms, a change in occupancy such as lettings or a nursery opening, new storage or processes, a fire or near miss, a change of responsible person, or a fire and rescue service audit finding.
Who can review a school fire risk assessment?: The responsible person must appoint someone competent — with the training, knowledge, skills and experience appropriate to the building. A well-briefed premises lead can carry out an interim documented review of an existing assessment; the full periodic reassessment of a complex school site normally warrants a competent external fire risk assessor.
What is the difference between reviewing and redoing a fire risk assessment?: A review checks whether the existing assessment still describes the building, the people and the risks, and whether the actions have been closed. A reassessment starts again from the building as it now stands. Reviews keep the document alive between reassessments; they do not replace them indefinitely.

How SchoolSafe Systems helps

SchoolSafe Systems provides an independent review of your existing assessment, turns the outstanding actions into a plan with owners and dates, and reports the position in terms governors can act on. See fire risk assessments for schools and the school fire safety hub.