PAT Testing for Schools & Nurseries in the North East

Schools and nurseries rely on a wide range of electrical equipment used daily by staff and pupils. From IT equipment and classroom resources to kitchen appliances and extension leads, faults can quickly become a safety risk if left unchecked.

As an education provider, you have a heightened duty of care. Regular PAT testing helps demonstrate that you are actively managing electrical safety and protecting pupils, staff and visitors.

PAT testing supports compliance with:

• Health & Safety at Work Act
• Electricity at Work Regulations
• Ofsted expectations
• Local authority and academy trust requirements

We’re also able to manage your EICRs and Emergency Lighting Inspections.

✔ Full visual inspection of every appliance
✔ Electrical safety testing where required
✔ Free replacement of standard plugs & fuses
✔ Clear pass / fail labels with unique ID numbers
✔ Fully itemised digital PAT Testing Certificate (PDF)
✔ Same-day reports available (subject to availability)
✔ Practical advice on retest periods and improvements

We test all typical school equipment including:

• Classroom IT equipment
• Interactive whiteboards & AV equipment
• Staff laptops and chargers
• Kitchen and canteen appliances
• Extension leads and adaptors
• Portable heaters and fans

We understand that disruption in schools needs to be kept to a minimum. Our engineers work efficiently and can:

• Test during school holidays
• Work around timetables
• Focus on staff-only areas during lessons
• Coordinate with site managers
• Arrive early to get classrooms done before school starts

This ensures safety compliance without impacting teaching time.

Where required for audits, inspections or insurance, we can provide same-day digital PAT Testing Certificates, subject to availability.

Reports are emailed as PDFs, making them easy to store and share with:

• Ofsted inspectors
• Local authorities
• Academy trusts
• Insurers

For new clients, payment is required before same-day certificates are issued.

✔ Enhanced DBS checked engineers
✔ Fully insured and qualified staff
✔ CHAS accredited & PATTA members
✔ Experience working in education settings
✔ Clear documentation accepted by Ofsted & insurers

We regularly work with:

• Primary and secondary schools
• Nurseries and early years settings
• Academies and trusts
• Colleges and training centres

Our pricing is clear and fair, with fixed quotations available. We base costs on the number and type of items tested and will always explain pricing upfront.

👉 View our full PAT Testing Prices
👉 Or request a fixed quote for your school

Q. Is PAT testing required by Ofsted?
Ofsted expects schools to demonstrate electrical safety management — PAT testing is a recognised way to do this.

Q. Can testing be done during holidays?
Yes — many schools choose holiday testing to avoid disruption.

PAT testing is farily inobtrusive, and when we work together minimal disruption is guarenteed. We do need to turn equipment off and unplug it to test it but the process is quite quick, so not much downtime. We do repairs as we come across them, so you don’t need to worry about delays due to faults, and every test produces results that are recorded into a fully compliant report which documents every device tested, maintenance and the device location in your premises.

You are legally required to maintain safe electrical equipment for continued use and to prevent danger occuring. In the event of an accident occuring, for an investigation you need to provide evidence that your devices were safe, and that you have done everything you can to ensure this. Regular Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) finds faults and fixes them, ensuring dangers are prevented, and the accompanying report ensures your compliance.

PAT testing should be repeated as often as is necessary to prevent danger occuring. A risk assessment is a good way to work out the risks, which help to determine appropriate frequency. We can also guide you based on our vast experience. Typically, site managers opt for annual PAT tests. With DRA PAT Testing we put you in our reminder system, so when tests are due again we contact you to arrange a retest date.

Assuming you purchased the new appliances from a reputable source, they do not usually require PAT testing immediately, and should be ok to wait until your next scheduled test assuming that is within 12 months of purchase. We do however recommend that the device be visually inspected before use. However, if you are in doubt at all, get it tested, for peace of mind.