Injured Wolverhampton pupils given £29k
Children have been paid almost £29,000 in compensation for being injured at Wolverhampton schools.
The payouts included more than £10,000 for a child who caught their left knee on exposed metal and more than £8,000 for a youngster who injured their upper abdomen on a large splinter.
The figures have been revealed at a time when Wolverhampton council is trying to save £134 million over five years.
Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "One of two things is happening: either the council is paying out too quickly on spurious claims or, as seems to be most often the case, these schools are not being maintained effectively and leaving children at risk.
"Either way, it's taxpayers that end up with the bill and we can't afford this level of payouts when we're trying to make necessary savings without jeopardising frontline services."
Since September 2009, 71 children from primary, secondary, infant and junior schools have made claims.
Of these 71, six were successful. The highest payout was £10,295 for a child who caught their left knee on exposed metal, while the second highest was £8,247.55 for a large splinter of wood that hurt a child's upper abdomen.
Other payouts included £3,504.50 for a youngster who cut their leg on a nail sticking out of a bench, £3,375 for a child whose finger got trapped in a gate, £2,100 for a cut to a forehead and £1,100 for a child who tripped and fell due to a wooden stump in the ground.
Claire Darke, Wolverhampton council's cabinet member for education, said: "If people have had an accident and we the council are at fault then we need to pay out. It's the way the world is.
"We need to do all we can to prevent accidents and if the council are at fault it's our responsibility to give compensation.
"Our focus needs to be on preventing these incidents. We need to look at why they happen and make sure everything is being done to prevent them happening again.
"We need to make sure the schools take the greatest of care, especially as schools are moving towards becoming academies and the council has less of a say and less control over what happens in schools."
