No-Smoking Signs in Welsh School Grounds: What the Law Requires
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Every school in Wales must display a no-smoking sign at or near each main entrance to its grounds. The law sets the exact wording, in Welsh and English, and it is not the same rule that applies inside the school building. Failing to display the sign is a fixed penalty offence carrying a £200 fine.
This is one of the few pieces of UK signage law that specifies text word for word. Most signage rules describe what a sign has to communicate and leave the wording to you. Regulation 14 of the Smoke-free Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2020 sets out precisely what it must say.
School grounds and school building: two different rules
| Requirement | Inside the building (reg 13) | School grounds (reg 14) |
|---|---|---|
| Crossed-cigarette symbol | Required | Required |
| Prescribed wording | None | Yes — fixed, bilingual |
| Language requirement | None | Welsh and English |
| Where it goes | No requirement | At or near every main entrance |
| Minimum number of signs | One | One per main entrance |
The exact wording the law specifies
The warning text prescribed for school grounds is:
It is against the law to smoke in these school grounds / Mae ysmygu yn nhir yr ysgol hon yn erbyn y gyfraith
The regulation gives the warning text as a single bilingual string, so both languages form part of the requirement. Hospital grounds and public playgrounds each have their own separate wording, worded for those settings.
What a compliant school sign has to do
Regulation 14 sets four conditions for school grounds:
- At least one sign must be displayed.
- It must carry a legible graphic of a burning cigarette in a circle with a bar crossing the cigarette.
- It must include the prescribed warning text above.
- It must sit in a prominent position at or near the main entrance — and where there is more than one main entrance, at each of them.
That last point is the one most likely to catch a site out. A single sign at the front gate does not cover a school with a separate pedestrian gate, staff entrance or playing-field access that also functions as a main entrance.
Inside the building, the rule is much looser
The requirement for ordinary premises — workplaces and places open to the public — sits in regulation 13, and it asks for far less. One legible sign carrying the crossed-cigarette symbol. No prescribed wording. No language requirement. No requirement about where it goes.
The two regulations are easy to conflate, and guidance that applies the school-grounds wording rule to ordinary premises is not hard to find online. For a school, the practical consequence is that the grounds and the building are governed by two different standards, and only the grounds require specific text.
Residential schools: the designated area exception
A school that provides residential accommodation to pupils may designate an area of its grounds where named adults are permitted to smoke. The conditions are tight: the area must be no more than 8.25 square metres, at least 10 metres from any other smoke-free premises, and clearly marked as an area where a permitted person may smoke. A child can never be a permitted person, and the person in charge must keep a record of designated areas and permitted persons.
The penalty
Failing to display a required sign carries a fixed penalty of £200, reduced to £150 if paid early. Smoking in smoke-free premises carries £100, reduced to £75. Local authorities enforce the requirement.
The sign is not the whole duty
Displaying the sign satisfies one obligation. Separately, anyone who controls or is concerned in the management of smoke-free school grounds must take reasonable steps to cause someone smoking there to stop. The sign supports that duty; it does not discharge it.
Other school signage sits under different rules
Fire safety signage, accessibility, and visitor identification are governed by separate regimes with their own requirements, and none of them prescribe wording the way regulation 14 does. Your fire risk assessment and your local authority are the right sources for those. This article covers the smoke-free requirement only, because it is the one where the law leaves no room for interpretation. For everything else, our practical guide to wooden signs for schools covers classroom, wayfinding and policy signage.
Choosing a sign that survives a school gate
A regulation 14 sign lives permanently outdoors at an entrance, which rules out several common signage materials. It is worth knowing what actually holds up:
- Oak veneered MDF cannot tolerate damp or wet conditions and is not suitable outdoors at all, regardless of how it is fixed.
- 3mm FSC-certified Moso bamboo is water-resistant. It works outdoors when it is held rigidly against a solid structure with no freedom to move — tied rather than drilled, since drilling concentrates stress and can split it at that thickness. Hung loosely on string it can swing and knock in wind.
- 5mm FSC-certified Moso bamboo is outdoor-suitable more generally, including drilled fixings and hanging designs. Like any untreated timber outdoors it will green over time without occasional cleaning.
A UV-protective bamboo oil slows outdoor discolouration but does not prevent it, and needs reapplying roughly every six to twelve months. We do not offer oiling or sealing as a service — it is straightforward to do yourself if you want to.
Frequently asked questions
Does the school grounds sign have to be bilingual?
Yes. The warning text prescribed for school grounds is given in both English and Welsh as a single string, so both form part of the requirement.
Where exactly does the sign have to go?
In a prominent position at or near the main entrance to the grounds. Where a school has more than one main entrance, a sign is required at each of them.
Does the same wording apply inside the school building?
No. Premises that are workplaces or open to the public fall under regulation 13, which requires only a legible crossed-cigarette symbol on at least one sign — no wording, no language requirement and no placement rule.
Do nurseries and outdoor childcare settings need the same sign?
Regulation 14's signage requirement lists school grounds, hospital grounds and public playgrounds. Outdoor childcare settings are not among them, although smoke-free duties under the Act still apply.
Does the requirement cover vaping?
The prescribed wording refers to smoking. Schools that also want to prohibit vaping generally add their own wording, which is a policy choice rather than something the regulation requires.
What happens if the sign is missing?
Failing to display a required sign is a fixed penalty offence of £200, reduced to £150 for early payment. Local authorities enforce it.
Also see
School signs for classrooms, offices and reception · Wooden signs, badges and awards for schools · Wooden signs for schools: a practical guide · Free printable school signs · Free bilingual Welsh and English signs · School badges and lanyards
Source: the Smoke-free Premises and Vehicles (Wales) Regulations 2020, regulations 10 to 14 and 20 to 21, and Chapter 1 of Part 3 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017. This article is general information about what the regulations say, not legal advice — your local authority is the enforcing body and the right place to confirm your own position.