Accident at School Claim
Start your accident at school claim with Tylers Solicitors. If your child has suffered any kind of injury at school, you may be able to make a claim on your child’s behalf. To start your injury at school compensation claim, get in touch with Tylers Solicitors today.
Whether they were injured due to lack of supervision, unsafe play equipment, or poor teacher training, our team of no win, no fee child injury lawyers are here to support you throughout the claims process.
As long as the accident at school and subsequent injury were caused by a liable adult, you will be able to act as your child’s litigation friend while making a claim.
What are the most common injuries in schools?
Schools are filled with excited children, playground activities, break time equipment, sports lessons, and more. It’s no surprise that they are a common setting for child accidents and injuries. However, you may wish to make an accident at school claim if your child experienced an avoidable injury due to an adult’s negligence.
With this in mind, here are some of the most common injuries and accidents we see in schools:
- Slips, trips, and falls
From cluttered hallways to uneven playground surfaces, slips, trips, and falls are some of the most common school injuries for children to experience. These types of school accidents can result in nasty sprains, fractures, and lacerations.
Playground equipment accidents
If your child’s school has playground equipment that is poorly maintained, this school negligence case could result in injuries such as broken bones, dislocations, facial cuts, and even head injuries.Sport and PE accidents
PE lessons involve a lot of physical activity and rough and tumble, but this could result in a serious accident at school if left unsupervised or without the correct safety gear. Common injuries children could experience during PE lessons include sprains, knee and ankle injuries, concussions, dislocations, and fractures.Allergic reactions and food poisoning
School canteens are usually a place of socialisation for children, but what happens when they fail to follow food safety standards and safety protocols for students with allergies? Cross contamination, poor hygiene, and a failure to follow strict dietary restrictions can result in choking, food poisoning, and even anaphylaxis in extreme cases.
If your child’s school accident or injury isn’t listed above, contact our child injury solicitors today on 0800 699 0079. We can discuss your case and determine whether you are eligible for injury at school compensation.
What evidence do you need for an accident at school claim?
If your child has suffered from an injury at school that wasn’t their fault, we recommend gathering evidence as soon as possible. This will strengthen your claim and make a compensation payout more likely.
We have listed some examples of child injury claims evidence below. Your evidence should prove that the school accident was caused by negligence or a failure in duty of care.
Don’t panic if you don’t have access to all of these examples — we will start by assessing what you do have available and help you gather extra supporting evidence if need be.
- Medical evidence: Including doctor’s reports, hospital appointment records, treatment records, recovery reports, prescriptions, and psychological assessments.
- School accident report: In the UK, it is a legal requirement for schools to keep an accident logbook. You should source a copy of the school’s accident logbook for information about when and where the accident occurred, how it occurred, whether there were any witnesses, and the details of any action taken by staff.
- Photographic and video evidence: Including photos and videos of the injury, accident scene, and any safety hazards present where the accident occurred. This could also include CCTV footage or video recordings if relevant.
- Witness statements: You should ask anyone who witnessed your child’s accident for a witness statement. This will confirm your story and potentially establish school liability. However, you must get parental consent before sourcing witness statements from anyone under 18.
- Financial and lifestyle losses: Including medical expenses, unpaid leave, additional childcare costs, travel costs, and special equipment costs if needed. You may also need an education report from the school to show whether the accident disrupted their learning.
For any questions about sourcing evidence for an injury at school compensation claim, feel free to get in touch with our friendly child injury solicitors.
How much could claim?
What to do if a child is injured at school in the UK
We understand how distressing it can be when your child is injured at school — especially if you found out late or were unable to get to them straight away. If your child’s injury was at no fault of their own, it can be hard to know what steps to take next.
Here’s a simple step by step of what to do if your child is injured in an accident at school and how to make an injury at school compensation claim on their behalf.
- Seek immediate medical attention
The school should call 999 in a medical emergency, but if the injury doesn’t require urgent attention, you will be called to pick up your child from school.Upon arrival, assess your child’s injuries and decide whether they need to go to A&E, an urgent care clinic, or the GP.
- Speak to the school staff involved
If possible, ask for a detailed explanation of how the accident at school happened and a copy of the school’s incident report. You should have this interaction as a taped (with permission) or written record.
If the school refuses to provide you with an accident report, you can reference The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, which says that schools must keep a written record of any accidents, illnesses, or injuries involving students.
Remember to make a note of any inconsistency or timeline changes if relevant.
If you need to leave the premises urgently to care for your child, you can return to this step at a later date. - Check for delayed symptoms
Head trauma, soft tissue injuries, and psychological distress can become apparent after the initial accident.
Keep an eye on any changes in your child’s injury or injuries, and take them to another medical professional for further assessment if necessary.
Make sure to keep a copy of any medical reports that reflect any injury developments. - Gather evidence to support your claim
Try to collate any evidence supporting your child’s injury at school claim, including statements, medical reports, and photos.
How to make a claim an accident at school claim
You have until your child turns 18 to make an injury compensation claim on their behalf. If you decide not to make a claim, your child will have three years from their 18th birthday to make a claim themselves.
We recommend making a compensation claim for any injury at school as soon as possible. This will keep any evidence and events fresh, making a compensation award more likely for your child.
- Initial consultation: Fill out our contact form or call us on 0800 699 0079. One of our child injury solicitors will be in touch to arrange a no-obligation consultation to discuss your child’s accident at school and any injuries. This will help us determine whether you have a valid claim.
- Gathering evidence: We will look at your evidence and decide whether it’s strong enough to determine liability. If we need more evidence to support your claim, we will help you collect more. At this point, we may also arrange for a third party to assess your child’s injuries for extra evidence.
- Establishing liability and compensation award: Once all the evidence is gathered, we can establish liability. We will consider all of your child’s injuries (physical, emotional, and mental), losses, and damages to decide the final compensation amount.
- Filing your accident at school claim: Once you have agreed with the compensation amount, we will file your child’s injury at school claim. We will also handle all of the legalities, negotiations, and paperwork so you can focus on your child’s recovery.
- Representing in court: Most child injury cases are settled outside of court, but if the offending party disputes liability, we are prepared to represent your child’s case in court.
No matter how severe your child’s injuries are from an accident at school, our solicitors promise to support and guide you through every step of the process.
Compensation amounts for accidents at school
How much compensation could you claim on your child’s behalf for an accident at school?
The general rule is: the more harm caused to your child through a school accident, the more compensation they’re likely to receive.
The total compensation amount for your child’s school injury will be determined on a case by case basis, taking into account the severity of harm caused, any long term impacts, financial or lifestyle losses, and any psychological distress.
As such, the amounts in our injury at school compensation calculator below are estimates based on the latest edition of The Judicial College Guidelines.
Need more information? Don’t worry, one of our professional claims solicitors will advise you along the way
Contact us on 0800 699 0079 or via our online contact form to start your claim today!
Compensation for severe school injuries
If your child has experienced life-changing injuries due to an accident at school, such as brain damage, paralysis, amputation, or severe fractures, they could be eligible for compensation from £50,000 to £493,000 in the most extreme cases.
Compensation for minor school injuries
If your child has suffered minor injuries with a short-term recovery prognosis, including sprains, cuts, bruises, and minor burns, they could be eligible for compensation up to £12,000.
Compensation for moderate school injuries
If your child has experienced serious fractures, dislocations, burns, and head injuries that have had a significant negative impact on their daily life, they could be eligible for compensation from £12,000 to £100,000.
Table of Contents
Accident at School Claim FAQs
Can I claim child injury compensation as a parent?
If you are the child’s parent or legal guardian, you can file a school injury compensation claim on their behalf. This means you will become the child’s ‘litigation friend’, acting as someone who represents them in legal proceedings.
Where will my child’s school accident settlement money be kept?
Your child’s compensation award will be kept in a court approved trust or investment account by the Court Funds Office (CFO) until they turn 18. When your child turns 18, they can access, withdraw, and spend the money as they please.
How do I access my child’s injury settlement money in the UK?
As a parent or guardian, you will not be able to access your child’s compensation award without a court order. Even then, these court orders only appear for exceptional circumstances.
In the rare circumstance that you are given a court order to access your child’s settlement money, the money can only be used for expenses that directly benefit your child. Examples include medical treatments, medical equipment, therapy, and education.
What happens if a child breaks a bone at school in the UK?
If your child has broken a bone while at school in the UK, the school must follow child safety and safeguarding procedures.
This will involve immediate medical attention, whether it be first aid, contacting emergency services, or taking the child to A&E, as well as reporting the injury in an accident book under RIDDOR guidelines.
Once your child is safe, the school must contact you, the child’s parent or legal guardian, as soon as possible. If the fracture isn’t severe, you may be asked to collect your child and assess the type of medical intervention required for their injury.
these court orders only appear for exceptional circumstances.
In the rare circumstance that you are given a court order to access your child’s settlement money, the money can only be used for expenses that directly benefit your child. Examples include medical treatments, medical equipment, therapy, and education.
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NO WIN - NO FEE
For any Child Injury Claims, call Tylers Solicitors today, a leading UK provider of no-win, no-fee legal services. Our experienced team will work with you to get the maximum amount of compensation you’re entitled to, following any kind of injury that isn’t your fault!