§ Mr. Priorasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she is satisfied with the fire precautions at Elm-tree Primary School, Lowestoft; and whether new schools are being fitted with modern fire alarms.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThe Standards for School Premises Regulations with which every new maintained school has to comply, make no specific requirement that a fire alarm system should be provided. In deciding not to install an electric alarm system when Elmtree Primary School was built, the Suffolk Authority was following the Department's then published advice and it is still satisfied that a hand-bell alarm is adequate, given the layout of the building. The Department's current advice is that hand-bells should be restricted to schools with less than 160 children but the decision is a matter for the local education authority, in the light of all the demands on its resources, including other safety measures.