Pages On: School Accidents
Schools need to be safe places for children and adults alike. But accidents in schools are far more common than you might expect. A lot of press considers the pursuit against schools for injury compensation to be the scourge of “compensation culture”. However, schools have a duty of care to protect their pupils, and as such they are liable for injuries. Most claimants will sue a school if the injuries were serious and clearly not at fault for them. They are also workplaces, and have some of the highest rates of work accidents of all other sectors. As such, a teacher, or other staff, injured in a school could seek employer negligence compensation. If you’ve suffered an accident in a school, and you’re not at fault, you may be entitled to compensation.
Primary school under special measures
Posted: 31 January 2016
Posted in: Public Place Accidents, School Accidents
Following an inspection in November of 2015, Oxford’s Rose Hill Primary School has been placed in special measures by Ofsted. The inspection found that “critical” health and safety advice was not being adhered to and that there was a concerning lack of training to recognise and respond to “extremism and radicalisation”. It stated that during the inspection a visitor had managed to enter the school without being identified, and deemed this unacceptable. Ofsted reported that there was an “insufficient awareness of the striking decline in school performance and falling standards”. It…
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School accidents cost council £137,000
Posted: 2 November 2015
Posted in: Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip
Recently released figures have revealed that a council has paid out over £130,000 in compensation as a result of school related injuries. West Berkshire Council has paid out to a total of five claimants since 2013, costing them a total of £137,000. One of the incidents saw a claimant receive £50,499 for a personal injury suffered on the school premises. According to the figures, which were released following a Freedom of Information request, only one payout went to a pupil, with the other four payouts going to teachers and school…
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Stress-related illness on the rise for teachers
Posted: 27 May 2015
Posted in: School Accidents, Workplace Injuries
According to a recently released report, the number of teachers in the West Midlands that have been signed off as a result of stress-related illness has risen by almost 300 in 5 years. It was found that one fifth of all teacher and staff absences were due to stress. Ofsted stated that schools needed to be doing more to help teachers and staff with managing their workload. In 2010-11, the region saw 1,322 teaching absences due to stress and depression, compared to 1,596 teachers in 2014-15 – a rise of…
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Lollipop lady receives seven-figure settlement
Posted: 30 January 2015
Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Pedestrian Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries
A lollipop lady from South Shields has been awarded a seven-figure compensation payout after being knocked down on duty. 62-year-old Eleanor Harman suffered a severe brain injury when a car hit her opposite her home in February 2011. The accident left her with extreme disabilities, including difficulties with her memory. She will require around the clock care for the rest of her life. The mother-of-two underwent life-saving surgery after the accident. She was then required to stay in a high-dependency unit for three weeks and spent almost a year in…
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Bolton pays out more than expected
Posted: 25 July 2014
Posted in: Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries
New figures have found that Bolton Council has paid out more compensation to injured school pupils than first expected. It was reported in April that a total of 16 claims had been made as a result of playground injuries, each receiving a share of £150,000. However, recent figures have revealed this not to be the case, as the figure did not account for injured school staff and visitors. This led to a far larger compensation figure paid out by the council. The new figures found there to have been an…
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Over £1.1m paid out by Humber authorities
Posted: 17 July 2014
Posted in: Leg Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents
Following a Freedom of Information request, it has been found that councils across northern Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire have paid out more than £1.1 million to injured school pupils and staff, including legal fees. The request further revealed that the East Riding of Yorkshire Council paid out £600,533 to 27 claimants in the last five years. Six claims cost North Lincolnshire £239,100, while Hull received 10 claims – costing the city council £187,974. Hull City Council paid one of the largest claims after a large object fell on a student’s leg,…
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Compensation to teachers doubled in four years
Posted: 3 May 2014
Posted in: School Accidents, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip
New figures have revealed that the compensation paid out to injured teachers has doubled over the last four years. With £40million paid out to injured teachers last year alone, some argue that money is being wasted where it could be better spent on teachers and classroom equipment. The finding that many claims are being awarded simply to prevent the costs from escalating only worsened this dispute. Successful personal injury claims included payouts of thousands of pounds for slipping in wet corridors, tripping into potholes and falling on uneven paving slabs.…
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Teacher wins £100,000 for injuries suffered breaking-up fight
Posted: 7 April 2014
Posted in: Arm Injury, Finger Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries
A Birmingham teacher has been awarded over £100,000 in compensation after suffering injuries from breaking-up a playground fight. Figures released under a Freedom of Information Act request found that a total of £1m had been paid-out by the council to school-related claims over the last five years. The teacher, who remains unidentified, received a total of £113,905 for the injuries he suffered putting an end to a playground fight earlier in the school year. The Freedom of Information Act request found that many of the compensation packages paid-out by the…
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Birmingham council pays out £190,000 to school children
Posted: 2 March 2014
Posted in: Finger Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents
A recent report has found that Birmingham City Council has paid out around £190,000 in injury compensation to school children. There has been increased concern regarding the safety of school classrooms and equipment, with health and safety experts Employment Law Advisory Service (ELAS) finding that many of the incidents have occurred as a result of this. Compensation claims included: £12,000 payout to a boy hit by a golf club £10,100 payout to a child that got fingers trapped in a door £2,010 payout to a child injured by acid during…
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College fined over girl’s death
Posted: 14 February 2014
Posted in: Neck Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death
York College has been fined £175,000 after a 3-year-old girl died on her first full day at the college’s nursery. The college has been fined for health and safety breaches after Lydia Bishop got her neck caught in a rope on an outdoor slide at York College’s nursery in 2012. The college denied charges, but was finally convicted last week for failing to ensure child safety between August and September 2012. Lydia died at her first full day of nursery when she became caught in a rope that was intended for…
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