The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999

PART III school accommodation provisions applying only to boarding schools

Sleeping accommodation

8.—(1) A boarding school shall include sleeping accommodation which is adequate for the number of boarding pupils at the school and satisfies the requirements of paragraph (2) to (5).

(2) In the case of a school with both male and female boarding pupils the sleeping accommodation shall be such that no pupil who has attained the age of 8 years shall sleep in the same room as a pupil of the opposite sex.

(3) The floor area of a dormitory shall not be less than the aggregate of 4.2m² for each pupil sleeping in the dormitory and 1.6m², and there shall be a distance of not less than 0.9m between any two beds in a dormitory.

(4) A cubicle for a single pupil shall have its own window and its floor area shall not be less than 5.0m².

(5) A bedroom for a single pupil shall be of a floor area not less than 6.0m².

Washroom accommodation

9.—(1) Water closets, washbasins, baths and showers shall be provided in a boarding school distributed through the school buildings so as to be reasonably accessible to the sleeping accommodation and in an appropriate location having regard to their use by boarding pupils; and such fittings shall be adequate, having regard to the ages, sex and numbers of the boarding pupils at the school and any special requirements they may have, but never fewer than as set out in paragraphs (2) to (4).

(2) There shall be at least one water closet for every five boarding pupils.

(3) There shall be at least one washbasin—

(a) for every three of the first 60 boarding pupils;

(b) for every four of the next 40 boarding pupils; and

(c) for every further 5 boarding pupils.

(4) There shall be at least one bath or shower for every ten boarding pupils and at least 25% of the minimum number of such fittings shall be baths.

(5) Fittings required by this regulation are in addition to those required by regulation 3 save that where the fittings required by regulation 3 are reasonably accessible to the sleeping accommodation and in an appropriate location having regard to their use by boarding pupils they may be taken into account for the purposes of this regulation.

(6) Where in paragraphs (2) to (4) of this regulation the number of pupils to be used in the calculation is not an exact multiple of three, four, five or ten as the case may be, then it shall be rounded up to the next number which is such a multiple.

Living accommodation

10.—(1) A boarding school shall include living accommodation (both for the purposes of private study outside school hours and for social purposes) for the boarding pupils at the school of an aggregate floor area not less than 2.3m² for each such pupil.

(2) In the case of a school where either—

(a) some or all of the sleeping accommodation comprises study bedrooms or cubicles; or

(b) the boarding accommodation is adjacent to other school accommodation which is appropriate for use outside school hours as living accommodation for boarding pupils,

then such accommodation may be taken into account for the purposes of this regulation.

Accommodation for the preparation and consumption of meals

11.—(1) A boarding school shall include accommodation—

(a) for the preparation or serving of meals for boarding pupils; and

(b) in which such pupils may eat meals.

(2) If the boarding accommodation is adjacent to other school accommodation which is appropriate for use as mentioned in paragraph (1), that other accommodation may be taken into account for the purposes of this regulation.

Sick rooms

12.—(1) A boarding school shall include, as part of the boarding accommodation—

(a) one or more sick rooms;

(b) if the school has more than 40 boarding pupils, one or more separate isolation rooms; and

(c) associated facilities by way of baths, washbasins and water closets,

which satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In the case of a school with both male and female boarding pupils, any of whom have attained the age of 8 years, separate sick rooms shall be provided for male pupils and for female pupils.

(3) The floor area of a sick room or isolation room shall not be less than 7.4m² for each bed and there shall be a distance of not less than 1.8m between any two beds in a sick room or isolation room.

(4) A cubicle for a single pupil shall have its own window.

Staff accommodation

13.  The accommodation provided for persons employed as residential staff at a boarding school shall be separate from that provided for the pupils and include, in particular—

(a) accommodation in which meals may be taken;

(b) sleeping accommodation; and

(c) associated facilities by way of water closets, washbasins, baths and showers.

Storage facilities

14.  A boarding school shall include adequate storage facilities for pupils' belongings and adequate facilities for the storage and care of linen.