Compliance for UK schools
Electrical Inspections (EICR) for UK Schools
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is the formal record of an inspection and test of a building's fixed electrical installation - the wiring, distribution boards, protective devices, and earthing - confirming it is safe for continued use. It is separate from testing portable appliances (see PAT testing). The legal driver is the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which require electrical systems to be maintained so as to prevent danger; the recognised technical standard is BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations). This guide explains what an EICR covers, the observation codes, who is competent to carry it out, how the recommended interval works alongside risk-based variation, and the remedial evidence a school or trust should retain.
What is an EICR, and how is it different from PAT testing?
An EICR is produced after a competent person inspects and tests the fixed electrical installation of a building: the incoming supply, distribution boards, circuits, protective devices, earthing and bonding. The inspector records the overall condition, identifies defects and deterioration, assigns an observation code to each finding, and gives an overall assessment of satisfactory or unsatisfactory, together with a recommended date for the next inspection. This is distinct from portable appliance testing (PAT), which covers items that plug into that installation - kettles, IT equipment, lab and workshop tools. The EICR covers the wiring in the walls; PAT covers what you plug into it. A school needs both, and they are usually carried out by different regimes on different cycles.
Sources: BS 7671
The observation codes: C1, C2, C3 and FI
- •C1 - danger present. There is a risk of injury and immediate action is required. A competent contractor should make the situation safe without delay.
- •C2 - potentially dangerous. Urgent remedial action is required; the defect could become dangerous. A report with any C1 or C2 is classified overall as unsatisfactory.
- •C3 - improvement recommended. Not a legal failure and does not by itself make the report unsatisfactory, but the improvement is worth planning in.
- •FI - further investigation required without delay. The inspector has found something that needs investigating to determine whether it is dangerous.
- •The contractor identifies and codes the defects, but responsibility for acting on them sits with the school or trust. An unsatisfactory report is not resolved until the C1/C2/FI items are corrected and there is evidence of that correction.
Sources: BS 7671
Who is responsible, and who is competent to inspect?
- •The duty to maintain electrical installations so as to prevent danger falls on the employer and person in control of the premises. In an academy trust that is the trust; in a maintained school it is typically the local authority or governing body depending on type. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sits behind the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 as the general duty.
- •Inspection and testing must be carried out by a competent person - normally an electrician or contractor registered with a recognised scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA, with the experience to inspect an installation of the school's type and size.
- •The trust should commission a full periodic inspection and test producing a proper EICR, not a limited visual check or a satisfactory-condition note for a narrow scope.
- •Acting on the findings is the duty holder's responsibility. When a C1 or C2 is issued, arranging and evidencing the remedial work is the trust's obligation, not the contractor's.
Sources: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
How often is an EICR needed - interval versus risk
- •BS 7671 and the IET's guidance recommend a maximum interval of five years between periodic inspections for educational establishments. This is a recommended maximum, not a fixed statutory renewal date.
- •The interval is risk-based: the previous report states the recommended date for the next inspection, and that recommendation can be shorter than five years where the installation, its age, its environment, or its use justify it. Treat the stated re-test date as a firm deadline.
- •Certain school environments warrant closer attention within the cycle - science laboratories and prep rooms, design-technology workshops, kitchens, swimming pools and plant rooms, and any external or temporary/modular buildings - because of their loading, environment, or the equipment connected.
- •Significant alterations, extensions, or a change of use should trigger inspection and certification of the affected parts of the installation, independently of the periodic cycle.
Sources: BS 7671; Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Evidence a school or trust should keep
- •The EICR itself, including the schedule of inspections, schedule of test results, and every observation code with its location.
- •A schedule of remedial works arising from C1, C2, C3, and FI findings, with owners and target dates.
- •Completion certificates for remedial work - an Electrical Installation Certificate for new or substantially altered circuits, or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for smaller interventions.
- •Evidence that C1 and C2 items were resolved within appropriate timescales; an outstanding C1 is an immediate safety issue and an outstanding C2 is a known risk left unaddressed.
- •Contractor details, including their registration scheme and the competent person responsible for the report.
Common gaps in school electrical compliance
- •Reports left past their recommended re-test date with no new inspection arranged - a five-year cycle means a school can drift for years before anyone notices.
- •C1 or C2 codes documented but never resolved; if an incident occurs, the report shows the risk was known and not acted on.
- •Remedial work carried out but no completion certificate or updated record to prove it, breaking the evidence chain.
- •Partial coverage - some buildings, circuits, or temporary/modular classrooms inspected while others are missed, which is common on multi-building sites.
- •No trust-level view: each school's EICR sits in a contractor email or a site office, so central teams cannot confirm which schools have current, satisfactory coverage.
Practical next steps
- •Confirm every building on every site has a current EICR and note the recommended re-test date for each.
- •Work through outstanding C1/C2/FI observations first, and keep the completion certificates that prove they were resolved.
- •Check that temporary and modular classrooms, external buildings, and plant areas are actually within the scope inspected - not quietly omitted.
- •Schedule the next inspection against the recommended date rather than waiting for a reminder from the contractor.
- •Hold reports, remedial certificates, and current status together per school so the position is visible before an audit, not during one.
Frequently asked questions
- Is an EICR a legal requirement for schools?
- There is no regulation that names the "EICR" as mandatory, but the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical systems to be maintained so as to prevent danger. A periodic inspection and test producing an EICR is the recognised way to demonstrate the fixed installation is safe, and it is the standard the sector and insurers expect.
- How often does a school need an EICR?
- BS 7671 and IET guidance recommend a maximum interval of five years between periodic inspections for educational establishments. It is risk-based: the previous report sets the recommended next date, which can be shorter where the installation's age, environment, or use justifies it. The stated re-test date should be treated as a firm deadline.
- What do C1, C2, C3 and FI mean on an EICR?
- C1 means danger is present and immediate action is required. C2 means potentially dangerous and urgent remedial action is required. C3 means improvement is recommended but is not a failure. FI means further investigation is required without delay. A report containing any C1 or C2 is classified overall as unsatisfactory.
- What is the difference between an EICR and PAT testing?
- An EICR covers the fixed electrical installation - the wiring, boards, and protective devices built into the building. PAT (portable appliance testing) covers equipment that plugs into that installation, such as IT equipment, kettles, and workshop tools. Schools need both; they are separate regimes usually run on different cycles.
- Who can carry out an EICR in a school?
- A competent person - normally an electrician or contractor registered with a recognised scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA, with the experience to inspect an installation of the school's type and size. The trust should commission a full periodic inspection and test, not a limited visual check.
- Who is responsible for fixing the defects found?
- The duty holder - the trust in an academy trust - is responsible for acting on the findings. The contractor identifies and codes the defects, but arranging the remedial work and keeping evidence that C1 and C2 items were resolved is the trust's obligation.
How EduComply helps manage this at scale
Recommended operational practice for managing this across a trust - not a statutory requirement in itself.
- •EICR reports are forwarded by email or uploaded. EduComply extracts the inspection date, the recommended re-test date, and the observation codes from the report.
- •A trust-wide view shows the EICR status for every school: current, approaching re-test, overdue, or missing.
- •A failing report raises an action in the Action Centre that lists each observation's code and carries a priority, ready to assign to an owner, so C1 and C2 findings do not stay buried in the PDF.
- •Alerts prompt estates teams before recommended re-test dates arrive, so the next inspection is scheduled rather than discovered late.
- •The original report, any remedial certificates, and the current compliance status are stored together for each school.
See how the full platform works, from certificate ingestion to trust-wide compliance dashboards.
Sources and guidance
The references below distinguish what the law requires from official guidance, recognised technical standards, and EduComply’s recommended operational practice. Always work from the current version of a source.
- Legislation· Legal requirement
- Official guidance· Regulator / government guidance
- Technical standard· Recognised British / IET standard
- LegislationThe Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
UK Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 635
- LegislationHealth and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
UK Public General Act 1974 c. 37
- Official guidanceGood estate management for schools (GEMS)
Department for Education · Health and safety / statutory compliance duties
- Technical standardBS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IET Wiring Regulations, 18th Edition)
IET / BSI · Paywalled: official BSI/IET publication
British Standards and IET codes of practice are published by BSI/IET and are subject to copyright. The links point to the official landing page; the full text is available by purchase or subscription. EduComply does not reproduce standard text.
This guide is general information for UK schools and multi-academy trusts, not legal advice. Requirements vary by building, duty holder, and circumstances. Refer to the current source material and seek professional advice where needed.
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