Generic case study. We do not name the school, the village or the trust — the value is the staging plan, the safeguarding approach and the way BS 7671, BS 5839-1 and BS 5266 were brought into line with one piece of work.
The brief
A small Somerset primary school with a Victorian core and a 1990s teaching-block extension. The most recent EICR had returned UNSATISFACTORY across the older block: aged metal-clad final circuits, a wooden-back distribution board in the boiler room, no per-circuit RCD protection, an obsolete fire-alarm panel that the maintenance contractor could no longer source spares for, and emergency lighting heads past their warranty. The brief: bring it into 18th ed Amd 2 compliance, refresh the fire and emergency lighting systems, and do it without losing teaching days.
What we did
- Partial rewire across six classrooms + corridor — final circuits relifted onto a new TP&N distribution board, RCBO per circuit, Type A throughout
- Consumer unit replacement — wooden-back board out, metal-clad 24-way TP&N in, full per-circuit individual protection, Type 2 SPD on the incomer
- BS 5839-1 fire alarm interface — replaced obsolete panel with a current-spec analogue addressable system, retained existing call-points and detectors where heads tested clean, integrated kitchen-area heat detector and corridor smoke loop
- BS 5266 emergency lighting refresh — LED self-test maintained luminaires across corridors, exit signs, hall, kitchen and stair core; 3-hour duration verified; logbook left on site
- Classroom lighting upgrade — LED panels replacing the older fluorescent troffers, daylight-linked dimming on the south-facing rooms
- Accessory upgrade — Click Deco metal-clad sockets and switches throughout the rewired zones, robust enough for primary-school use
- Inspection & test — full BS 7671 EIC at handover, fire alarm commissioning certificate, emergency lighting periodic-test certificate
Term-time staging plan
The school was operational throughout. Teaching could not stop. The plan:
- Survey + design during a teaching week. Out-of-hours visits, signed-in via reception, all on-site staff DBS-checked.
- February half-term — Phase 1. Three classrooms rewired, distribution board replaced. Five working days inside one half-term week. Teaching resumed on the Monday with full power, full lighting, full fire alarm.
- Weekend interim work. Emergency lighting heads swapped Saturday-Sunday with the building closed.
- Easter half-term — Phase 2. Three remaining classrooms rewired, fire-alarm panel cut over, corridor lighting upgraded. Old panel kept live in parallel until the new one was commissioned and witnessed.
- End of summer term — commissioning + handover. Logbooks updated, periodic-test schedule handed to the site manager, BS 7671 cert issued, Part P notified.
Safeguarding & site discipline
Every member of the on-site team carried an in-date enhanced DBS check before stepping on the premises. Site rules were briefed and signed before work started:
- Visitor sign-in at reception every morning, no exceptions
- Lanyards worn at all times
- No tools or cable left unattended in classroom corridors during teaching hours
- Lock-off / tag-out on every isolation, with a daily walk-round before children returned to the building
- End-of-day debrief with the site manager so anything left in a part-finished state was understood
The kit
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Distribution board | Metal-clad TP&N 24-way, RCBO per circuit, Type 2 SPD |
| RCBOs | Type A, 30 mA, full per-circuit individual protection |
| Fire alarm panel | Analogue addressable BS 5839-1 panel, single-loop, expansion ready |
| Emergency lighting | LED self-test maintained, 3-hour, BS 5266 |
| Classroom lighting | LED panels, 4000K, daylight-linked dimming on south face |
| Accessories | Click Deco / Deco Plus metal-clad, schools-grade |
| Tails & bonding | 25 mm² tails, 10 mm² main protective bonding |
Certification & paperwork
- BS 7671 Electrical Installation Certificate — full, NAPIT-format, every rewired circuit tested and logged
- Part P Building Regulations Compliance Certificate — NAPIT-notified to local building control
- BS 5839-1 fire alarm commissioning certificate — full panel cause-and-effect verified, every device addressed
- BS 5266 emergency lighting periodic-test certificate — 3-hour duration logged, logbook on site
- Updated O&M pack for the site manager — isolation map, panel-zone schedule, weekly-test routine, annual-test schedule
- VAT invoice — itemised by phase, VAT @ 20%
Why this approach. School rewires are not domestic rewires done bigger. The clock isn't “before the kids come home from work” — it's “before Monday morning's bell.” You design the staging plan around the school's calendar, not your own diary. Phase what you can finish in a half-term. Leave the rest for the next break. Never leave a building part-energised on a Friday.
Who it's for
Primary & secondary schools, multi-academy trusts, nurseries, after-school provision, village halls used for childcare, faith-school estates. Anywhere that combines BS 7671 compliance, BS 5839-1 fire alarm responsibility, BS 5266 emergency lighting and an enhanced-DBS safeguarding requirement on the same site.
Also see: commercial electrical, emergency lighting, consumer unit / distribution board, EICR.