October 19th, 2009
London’s High Court is to hear evidence this week regarding a hammer attack that left a schoolboy fighting for his life.
Henry Webster, 18, was a pupil at Ridgeway School near Swindon when the incident happened in January 2007.
He had agreed to meet another pupil on the tennis courts after school following an altercation, but was ambushed by a group of much older boys when he got there.
The gang had claw hammers and Mr Webster was left with brain damage.
He took legal action against the school, claiming that it had done nothing to prevent racial tensions which had been threatening to erupt for some time.
At a hearing in May, Judge Hagen said it was "astonishing" that staff had not been supervising pupils after hours, but the school denies that it was responsible for the attack.
The victim is claiming £1 million in damages from the school in a case which is to see scores of witnesses take to the stands this week.
Schools have a duty of care towards pupils and anyone injured while on school premises should seek advice from a personal injury lawyer, as they may be eligible for compensation.
Tags: 1 Million, Altercation, Brain Damage, Claw Hammers, Damages, Duty Of Care, Hagen, Hammer Attack, Henry Webster, London, Mr Webster, Personal Injury Lawyer, Pupil, Pupils, Racial Tensions, School Premises, Schoolboy, Tennis Courts
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September 15th, 2009
Teachers’ unions have said that schools need to become safer after it was revealed that over £2 million has been paid out in compensation by Scottish schools since 2004.
According to figures released this month, £1.5 million was paid out to injured staff, while another £600,000 was given in compensation to pupils, STV reports.
One claim was from a school worker who tripped over a carpet in West Dunbartonshire and was paid £4,000.
Another came from a pupil who fell on the school steps in Glasgow and was awarded £29,000 in compensation.
Sources from teachers’ unions said it is not satisfactory that staff are having to claim for accidents that could easily be avoided if education facilities were safer.
Occupiers of schools have the same responsibility to prevent injury as any other landowner so anyone who suffers from an accident on school premises should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in personal injury claims.
Tags: 5 Million, Accidents, Carpet, Dunbartonshire, Education Facilities, Glasgow, Personal Injury Claims, Pupil, Pupils, School Premises, School Steps, Scottish Schools, Solicitor Specialising, Teachers Unions, West Dunbartonshire
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June 23rd, 2009
A teacher who was raped by a pupil while working in a classroom after hours has been awarded compensation by the school’s governing body.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had only been teaching at Westminster City School for a few weeks when she was attacked by Dwayne Best, then 15, in September 2004, the BBC reports.
She later found that the boy had been the main suspect in another sexual assault at the school some months earlier, but had not been expelled.
The victim stated that she would not have taken the position had she known this and decided to take legal action against the school for failing to protect her.
In a new development, the council responsible for Westminster City School has agreed to an undisclosed compensation payout as a result of the pain and suffering the teacher – who is no longer able to work – was caused.
According to figures from the Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse cited by Rape Crisis, five per cent of women and 0.4 per cent of men experience rape at some point in their lives.
Tags: Bbc, Experience Rape, Governing Body, Government Action Plan, Pupil, Rape Crisis, Raped, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Violence, Westminster City School, Westminster School
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May 15th, 2009
A boy who was attacked by a gang of youths on school premises is seeking compensation for the injuries he sustained.
Henry Webster, 18, was a pupil at Ridgeway School in Wroughton near Swindon in January 2007, the Telegraph reports.
He had an altercation with a 15-year-old boy and agreed to meet him on the tennis courts after school. However, when he met the boy, he was ambushed by a group of his friends.
The gang beat Mr Webster with claw hammers and he was left fighting for his life.
He is now suing the school for £1 million in damages, claiming that it had not done enough to prevent racial tensions from erupting.
At a high court hearing, Judge Hagen criticised the school, saying he was "astonishing" that staff had not been supervising pupils on the tennis courts when the bell went.
The school denies the allegations and another hearing is set for October.
Schools have a duty of care towards pupils and anyone injured while on school premises should seek advice from a personal injury lawyer, as they may be eligible for compensation.
Tags: 1 Million, Allegations, Altercation, Claw Hammers, Damages, Duty Of Care, Hagen, Hammer Attack, Henry Webster, High Court Hearing, Mr Webster, Personal Injury Lawyer, Pupil, Pupils, Racial Tensions, School Premises, Swindon, Telegraph Reports, Tennis Courts
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April 29th, 2009
A former teacher is suing a council for £700,000 in compensation after her water was spiked with blackboard cleaning fluid.
Shaaira Alexis, 52, was given the mixture by a pupil who had been trusted with a set of classroom keys in February 2005, the Daily Mail reports.
The teacher drank the fluid and felt a burning sensation in her mouth and throat. She had to be taken to hospital to be treated and although she was released on the same day, she claims that the psychological impact was more severe.
"I believe the incident has taken something away from me that I will never get back," Ms Alexis told the high court.
She is suing Newham council for negligence – claiming that it had allowed pupils and teachers to be put at risk – and is seeking £700,000 for injuries, lost earnings and the pension she would have received had she stayed on at the school.
According to the National Union of Teachers, £18 million in compensation was paid out in the UK in 2008 to teachers who were injured, bullied or discriminated against.
Tags: Alexis, Blackboard, Burning Sensation, Cleaning Fluid, Daily Mail, Earnings, February 2005, Mixture, National Union Of Teachers, Negligence, Psychological Impact, Pupil, Pupils, Risk, Water Cleaning
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