Best Noticeboards for School Corridors: Lockable & Fire-Rated
Best Noticeboards for School Corridors
The best noticeboard for a school corridor is a lockable, fire-rated board that keeps notices secure, tidy and compliant on a busy escape route. This guide covers when a board needs to lock, indoor versus external, what size to choose, and the boards we would specify.
A corridor is an escape route, and one of the most public walls in the school. Notices get pulled down, written over, or buried under paper, and the wrong board can raise issues during a fire inspection. A lockable, fire-rated board solves all three: controlled access, a tidy display, and the certification an inspector wants to see.
What Makes a Good Corridor Noticeboard?
A good corridor board has to do several jobs at once. Here is what to check before you buy.
Tamperproof or Open: Should a Corridor Board Lock?
A tamperproof board is a lockable, glazed board: notices are read through the panel but can only be changed with a key. On a public thoroughfare an open board can be changed by anyone walking past, so a tamperproof board keeps statutory and safeguarding notices in place.
| Consideration for a corridor | Open noticeboard | Tamperproof (lockable) |
|---|---|---|
| Who can change the notices | Anyone passing through | Staff with a key only |
| Best suited to | Supervised, staff-only corridors | Public, unsupervised thoroughfares |
| Tampering and overfilling | Hard to control | Prevented by the locked door |
| Safeguarding and statutory notices | Can be removed or covered | Stay in place and visible |
For public thoroughfares a lockable noticeboard is the safer default; open boards still suit corridors a teacher can supervise.
What Are the Fire-Resistant Options for Corridors?
On an escape route, a corridor board should be fire-rated to BS EN 13501-1 Class B. There are two practical options, both with certified Class B fabric.
Quick to update, for escape-route corridors that a member of staff supervises.
Class B fabric plus a locked door, for public, unsupervised escape routes.
Standard felt boards are not permitted on escape routes, so confirm the rating on the specific model. Our guide on fire resistant noticeboards shows where Class B is required.
BB100 (the Department for Education's fire-safety design guide for schools) and Approved Document B are the reference points for boards on escape routes. GOV.UK's Approved Document B FAQ confirms wall and ceiling lining guidance follows BS EN 13501-1, so Class B should be on the product certification, not just the fabric description.
Indoor or External: Which Board Does Your Corridor Need?
Most corridors need an indoor tamperproof board with a polycarbonate door. Covered walkways, entrance lobbies and gate positions open to the weather need an external, weatherproof board with sealed edges and drainage. A standard indoor board is not waterproof and should not go outside.
What Size, and Where Should You Place Them?
Match the board to the notices it carries, then check it fits the wall. Capacity is usually quoted in A4 sheets, so it is easy to size by content.
As a rule, 900 x 600mm suits entrances, 1200 x 900mm suits form, department and safeguarding boards, and 1800 x 1200mm suits main circulation walls. Count what a position carries today and size up a little.
Placement decides whether a board gets read. GOV.UK-linked wayfinding guidance recommends placing signs at decision points and junctions, where people need to choose a route, and says they should be clear, visible and legible. In a corridor that means centring boards around eye level (1.4 to 1.6m, lower for primary), near doors, stairs and junctions, with clear gaps in line with BB100 and away from dim corners and clutter.
How Schools Use Corridor Noticeboards
Across most schools, corridor boards do a mix of four jobs.
A board that is fresh, well placed and uncluttered gets read; one that never changes becomes part of the wall.
The Best Corridor Noticeboards: Our Picks
For most public school corridors, start with a fire-rated, lockable tamperproof board with a shatterproof polycarbonate door and certification for your fire risk assessment. The colours let you code corridors by department or key stage, and school purchase orders are accepted on 30-day credit terms.
Best for escape-route corridors. Class B fabric behind a locked polycarbonate door, for compliant public thoroughfares.
View Board
Best for colour-coding departments. Same secure, fire-rated build in red, to flag a subject, key stage or zone at a glance.
View Board
Best for high-traffic main corridors. A larger square format for busy circulation walls and reception areas.
View BoardBrowse the full range in the lockable noticeboards collection or see weatherproof options in external noticeboards.
Corridor Noticeboards in Real Schools
Here are a few examples of how schools use corridor and circulation boards in practice, from colour-coded department boards to reception and locker-area displays.
Colour-coded felt boards run along a teaching corridor, marking each classroom or department and keeping its notices together.
A wall noticeboard by the entrance doors greets visitors and carries sign-in, safeguarding and visitor information at the front of school.
A bright lockable board in a seated waiting area keeps key notices visible and on message where parents and visitors pause.
A blue-framed board in a busy corridor turns a circulation wall into an achievement display, giving students a reason to look.
A grey-framed board beside the lockers reaches pupils at a natural pause point on a high-traffic corridor.
Displaysense supplies lockable, fire-rated and weatherproof noticeboards to UK schools, with certification documentation, free UK mainland delivery, and purchase orders on 30-day credit terms.
The best noticeboard for a school corridor is a lockable, fire-rated tamperproof board: secure on a public wall and compliant on an escape route. Size by capacity, choose an external weatherproof board for covered walkways and gates, and on escape routes confirm Class B and keep the certification on file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best noticeboard for a school corridor?
Do school corridor noticeboards need to be fire-rated?
Should school noticeboards be lockable?
What size noticeboard do I need for a school corridor?
Where can I buy lockable noticeboards for schools in the UK?
Fire-rating and escape-route guidance follows the Department for Education's Building Bulletin 100 (BB100) and Approved Document B. BB100 also sits within the Department for Education's wider Building Bulletin guidance collection for school buildings, covering areas such as fire safety, ventilation, acoustics and school area guidance. For the full fire-rating detail, see our guide on whether schools need fire resistant noticeboards. Confirm the final specification with your fire risk assessor.
What BB100 says, when Class B boards are required, and the mistakes to avoid.
Felt, lockable, fire-rated or outdoor? Match the right board to its use, location and access.
What to show, from DSL contacts to reporting routes and online safety.
