A private school has been fined £80,000 after a classroom ceiling collapsed, injuring 15 children and their teacher.
The pupils, who were seven and eight years old, suffered injuries including fractures to their upper limbs, concussion and cuts after tables and chairs stored overhead came crashing down on them.
The incident happened in November 2021 at Rosemead preparatory school on Thurlow Park Road in Dulwich, south London. The school is part of the Thurlow Educational Trust and charges fees of up to £5,606 a term.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found chairs and tables were being stored in an attic that was not designed to be load-bearing. The class teacher and several pupils were taken to hospital by the emergency services for assessment and treatment.
“Schools should be a place where children can come to learn from teachers and one another without having to worry about their safety,” said Samuel Brown, an HSE inspector. “Fortunately, this incident did not cause any more serious injuries, but the mental and emotional impact of such an event should not be understated.”
The HSE investigation found the trust had failed to carry out any assessments of the structural or load-bearing capacity of the area being used to store the items, or the suitability of the area for storage.
Thurlow Educational Trust pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) and section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. In addition to the fine, the trust was ordered to pay more than £7,000 in costs at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday.
Brown said: “This incident has resulted in injuries to multiple young children due to the failings of the school to ensure that chairs and tables were safely stored above their classroom.
“Employers need to take action to ensure that building stability and solidity problems are not caused through overloading areas not designed to bear weight. As proven, the failure to do so can have severe consequences.”
The chair of the trust, Nick Crawford, said: “The events of 15 November 2021 will for ever be marked as one of the most challenging in the school’s history. We recognise how deeply distressing it was for those involved. On behalf of the school, we would like to express our sincere regret and apologies that the incident happened.
“The school has fully cooperated with the HSE investigation and taken significant steps since the incident to ensure that its health and safety arrangements are as robust as they can be.”
