School & University Curtains

What fire rating do school and university curtains need?

Curtains in education buildings are specified against BS 5867 Part 2, the British Standard for the flammability of curtains, drapes and window blinds. Classrooms, lecture theatres, halls and circulation spaces are occupied by people who are awake and supervised, so Type B, the general contract standard, is the usual requirement. Boarding houses and halls of residence are different: bedrooms are a sleeping risk, and the fire strategy will normally call for Type C, the more demanding test that also has to survive a defined cleansing procedure. Check the requirement for each building rather than assuming one specification covers the whole estate.

The fire risk assessment for each building is the authority. Every fabric on this page carries a current BS 5867 Part 2 test report, supplied with the order for the estates team's records. For residential blocks, see our student accommodation curtains, which are filtered to blackout plains, and the BS 5867 Type C collection.

Choosing curtain fabrics for a school or campus

Curtains in education take more handling than almost any other setting: opened and closed several times a day, pulled by hand rather than cord, and cleaned on a schedule. Specification is mostly about durability, light control and maintenance, with fire performance as the baseline. By space:

• Classrooms and lecture theatres. Dimout curtains control glare on whiteboards and screens without losing daylight; the usual choice for teaching rooms.
• Halls, drama studios and AV rooms. Full blackout, usually in heavier weights that also help with acoustics in a large, hard-surfaced space.
• Libraries and common rooms. Hard-wearing plains and textures, with voiles where ground-floor privacy is needed.
• Early years and primary. Bright, contemporary prints work well and are washable; keep cords out of reach or specify cordless headings.
• Cleaning. Every fabric we list is inherently fire retardant, so the rating does not wash out over years of laundering. Check the product page for washing guidance.

Specifying and ordering

Every curtain is made to measure in the UK. Choose the fabric, enter your drop and width, select a heading (pencil pleat, eyelet, wave or pinch pleat), and the configurator prices it immediately. For a whole block or campus, or where you would rather send us a window schedule, request a quote and we will price the whole project as a single quotation across all the fabric houses we carry.

Most education work happens in the window between terms. Made-to-measure lead times need building into that programme, so talk to us early with approximate quantities and we will confirm what is realistic and get samples out while the specification is still being settled. Fire test certificates are supplied for your fire risk assessment and O&M files.

School curtain FAQs

Do school curtains have to be fire retardant?

Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to schools and universities, and the fire risk assessment will expect curtains to meet BS 5867 Part 2, Type B in teaching spaces and normally Type C in boarding and residential accommodation. Every fabric on this page is tested to BS 5867 Part 2.

Can you work within a framework or procurement portal?

Yes. Send us the specification and quantities and we will return a priced schedule with the certification attached, in whatever format your procurement process needs.

Can I see samples before ordering?

Yes. Request samples from the product page, or tell us the rooms and we will put a selection together.