More than 2,000 schools are damaged by fire each year

Seventy percent of the 2,000 school fires that take place a year are a result of arson, the Local Government Association claims.

But it says the government has refused to back calls for sprinklers, which may cut the �100m costs of fire damage.

The government says it is happy to support the move but has no extra cash.

Arson attacks

BBC correspondent Stephen Cape said during last year's firefighters' dispute, the modernisation of the service was heralded by the government as a complete rethink of how resources could best be used to prevent fires.

Sprinklers are a very simple, effective and cost efficient method of protecting school property Val Shawcross Local Government Association

On that basis, the LGA wants to ensure all newly-built schools are installed with sprinkler systems, he added.

But recent plans announced by the government to invest billions of pounds building new schools do not specify that sprinkler systems are needed.

LGA spokeswoman Val Shawcross said: "One in 15 schools will suffer from a fire in every given year and there are something like 1,400 arson attacks in Britain every year.

"Sprinklers are a very simple, effective and cost efficient method of protecting school property.

"If open-plan offices and department stores have to have them, why can't we build them into schools from the beginning?

"There is not just a financial case for protecting the buildings, we think there is also a very good educational case."

But a spokesman for the Department for Education said the schools Capital Investment Programme is set to rise to �5bn in the next financial year and the government was happy to support the installation of sprinklers, provided the money comes out of the existing budget.