North’s schools compensation bill tops £1m

The bill for compensation paid out by schools in the North has hit a five-year high.

Teachers blamed claims by parents against staff for the rise to more than £1m (€1.4m) last year, revealed in an Assembly written answer this week.

Anything from slipping on a floor to a serious accident on a school trip can spark legal proceedings, and teachers’ unions said members had been left fearing the next solicitor’s letter.

Seamus Searson, Northern Ireland organiser at NASUWT, said: “It is a sad reflection on society that parents want to sue if anything happens. Sometimes the only reason for doing it is to get something.

“As teachers we feel that sometimes accidents are accidents and that is why we advise people not to take children away on school trips.”

The response from the North's Education Minister Caitriona Ruane followed a written question from DUP MLA Mervyn Storey.

A total of £4.1m (€5.9m) has been spent in the last five years with the tally for last year alone standing at just over £1m (€1.4m). The statistics also included claims by staff and visitors to schools.

Mr Searson added: “Teachers have to take every precaution, we always have risk assessments but it becomes an unwieldy mechanism.

“We don’t want to see teachers in court on negligence claims but some of the claims would be for things like faulty furniture and slipping on floors.

“Most of the boards try to stop the claim at an early stage, when it is at a relatively low cost. Some people know that the boards take this pragmatic approach.”

He added that he knew of one teacher who had been asked by a parent prior to a school outing who she should sue if something went wrong.

Pip Jaffa, chief executive at the Parents’ Advice Centre, said there was a balance to be struck between the need to learn lessons from serious accidents and restoring relations between teachers and families.

“You would hope that before parents go to court every other possible avenue of trying to find a resolution to the dispute had been fully explored,” she said.

“Legal action drains the coffers of education boards but clearly people have rights to take cases.

“If the matter is then heard (in court) then presumably the policy will be changed.”

She added many parents took action as a matter of principle, to protect others who may be threatened by a repeated lapse.

North Antrim Assembly member Mr Storey said he was concerned and intended to ask further questions.