Destructive fire leaves Devon SEND school a total loss
A newly built specialist school in Okehampton has been left a total loss following a devastating fire that tore through its premises, impacting children, families and the wider community. This week saw the reports of a return to face to face teaching but in three different school sites.
The fire broke out on Sunday 22nd February at the Promise School in Okehampton. At the height of the fire 18 crews from the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service attended with six fire appliances, two aerial ladder platforms and two water carriers to tackle the blaze. Thick black smoke could be seen across the town as firefighters worked to bring the fire under control.
According to the Dartmoor Multi-academy Trust, the Promise School officially opened in September 2022, with students moving into the ‘custom-built site in the centre of Okehampton’ at the start of the 2023/24 academic year. The school provides support for about 100 children aged four to 16 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Fire crews confirmed that 100% of the roof and the first floor and 80% of the ground floor, were severely damaged. Describing the destruction, the headteacher Quentin Gunderson said: “It’s shocking. We can see it’s a complete catastrophic loss, the building has gone, but the school remains, and we will come back stronger.” He acknowledged the damage meant the school would need to be demolished and rebuilt.
Immediately after the fire, Councillor Denise Bickley, the council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for services that support children with special educational needs and disabilities, said: “This has been a deeply upsetting incident for children, families and the whole school community, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. We recognise how unsettling it must feel to face this level of disruption so suddenly.”
School leaders are putting alternative teaching spaces in place, with contractors working at three sites around the town to provide new temporary classrooms, whilst pupils continue to learn from home.
On Monday 9 March, Headteacher Mr Quentin Gunderson reported that: "We've had our year elevens back all last week - they've been back in again doing their mock exams today. Our primary will start returning from tomorrow, and then the rest of school will be from sometime next week."
While the incident is shocking, it is not isolated. Analysis of fire incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in England shows that there are on average 350 school fires per year.1 The government’s own Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) provides further evidence that these incidents are not without significant cost. In the past four years, the average fire claim within the RPA has ranged from £231,000 to £610,000. In the 2022/23 academic year alone, the average cost of a fire claim was £426,365.2
Fires do not need to destroy an entire building to cause lasting harm. Schools are not blessed with multiple spare teaching spaces. This means that even partial damage can result in months of disruption, displacement of pupils and staff, and significant financial strain. In this case at Okehampton, the destruction is total leaving the community having to effectively start again from scratch.
With fewer than one-in-ten new schools built with a sprinkler system installed, serious questions must be asked about whether enough is being done to protect educational buildings. The government recognises the impact that missed schooling can have on attainment and life chances, yet too many schools remain vulnerable to preventable fire damage.
From the emotional toll on children who rely on specialist provision, to their families who have had to provide and find additional support for them, to the financial cost borne by the public purse, school fires carry consequences far beyond bricks and mortar. The real cost is being borne by the students and their parents whilst a damaged school is repaired. The devastating fire in Okehampton is yet another reminder that we believe that protecting our schools must be treated as a national priority. How many more communities must face catastrophic loss before sprinkler protection returns to being a fundamental requirement in every new school building?