A fire at Thomas Bullock Primary School in Shipdham during August's record-breaking heat prompted Norfolk County Council to issue an immediate alert to all schools in the county, warning of the risk posed by sunlight refracting through acrylic plastic roofing onto outdoor equipment — the cause identified by investigators.

Ten fire crews attended the blaze, which left around 240 primary school children learning from home while the building remained out of use.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and SEND told councillors that as soon as the cause was identified, guidance was sent to all Norfolk schools. For council-maintained schools specifically, fire risk assessments are now being updated to incorporate the lessons learned from the Shipdham incident.

Cllr Helen Wysocki, who raised the issue at the September cabinet meeting, asked what steps were being taken to prevent similar fires at other schools and reduce pressure on the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, which she noted had been dealing with an unusually demanding summer.

The council said the updated assessments are currently in progress. Academy schools, which are not directly maintained by the council, received the same guidance alert but are responsible for their own fire risk management.