Schools pay out £70k for slip-ups in class
A pupil hit by a teacher ringing a bell, another smashed in the face with a hockey stick, and one hurt by football posts.
These are just some of the incidents that have led Wolverhampton council to pay out £70,000 compensation in three years.
The largest single payout relating to schools was £17,500 after a door slammed shut catching a pupil's right index figure.
The authority made 10 compensation payments between 2014 and 2016 totalling £69,064.69, at an average of £6,906.47. The smallest was £445.79 after a school gate swung into the front of a car.
John O'Connell, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Some compensation claims will of course be justified as some accidents can be life altering, but the total amount over the last three years will certainly raise eyebrows.
"Schools must make sure incidents leading to these claims are kept to a minimum."
The council released the figures following a Freedom of Information request.
In one incident an individual who was knocked against a wall while playing football in a sports hall was paid £1,600, and a claimant who was swinging on a metal gate when her friend shut it, trapping her finger, received £3,375.
A teacher who accidentally struck the claimant on the top of his head while ringing a hand bell resulted in a £2,597.25 payout, while a girl hit in the face by another pupil's hockey stick was handed £15,000.
Councillor Andrew Johnson, cabinet member for resources, said: "Our policy is to pay appropriate compensation only where we are legally liable to do so.
"All claims are thoroughly investigated and 84 per cent of these sorts of claims result in no payout."
