Outcry at payouts of £2m for injured pupils

The report into the 150 local education authorities in England highlighted a string of successful claims last year for trips, slips and bangs which most of us would dismiss as bad luck.

And some families are cashing in by suing schools that  usually cave in and settle.

The biggest single payout was by Bradford City Council for £48,808 when a pupil burned an  arm on a radiator pipe.

The same authority also awarded a child £4,000 after hurting his wrist when he was pushed out of a toy car by a classmate.

Yesterday education experts called for an end to the windfall cash payments and the “nanny state” culture in schools.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This is ridiculous. People in Britain are fed up with the sort of ambulance chasing that seems rife nowadays and it is about time it was all stopped.

“Why should hard-earned taxpayers’ money be handed out for playground accidents that we always used to accept was part and parcel of growing up?”

Chris Woodhead, former Chief Inspector of Schools, said: “We live in a world where too many people want to make money out of the slightest misfortune. Serious negligence is one thing, but accidents happen and always will.

“Those who are so quick to claim forget that other people will have to fund the money they receive through increased taxes to pay for higher insurance premiums. It is short-sighted greed.”

Campaign for Real Education chairman Nick Seaton said: “This sort of growing compensation culture is getting ridiculous.

“Unfortunately, whenever youngsters are playing games and sports, accidents do happen.”

He added: “Parents should not be encouraged or tempted to apply for compensation in cases where it’s fairly obvious that it’s simply an accident. I suspect that in a lot of these claims local authorities just pay out without fighting them. It’s probably easier and quicker for them.”

A total of 131 out of 150 local education authorities responded to the Freedom of Information Act survey, revealing they had paid out £1,765,790 in the 2007-8 financial year in respect of 399 claims.

When the authorities’ estimated legal costs for claims against them that failed are added, the total compensation bill would top £2million.

And the annual compensation bill could balloon further as children have until their 21st birthday before they need to make a claim about any injury that occurred in their school years.

The use of trampolines was blamed for nine accidents, including one in Wolverhampton where a pupil received £2,500 after trapping an arm.

Falling goalposts were also a hazard responsible for two payouts – one in Birmingham where a boy received £9,000 after the crossbar fell on his head during a match.

Bizarrely, Derby City Council paid £500 to a pupil who fell off an inflated space hopper toy, on which you bounce about.

And Oldham council paid out £13,700 to a pupil who sliced off the top of a finger while swinging on a school security gate.