Schools losing blame game

TENS of thousands of pounds have been paid out by council bosses to teachers and pupils in compensation claims ranging from slips and back injury to torn clothes and stolen phones.

One primary school pupil was awarded 7000 after falling in the playground and cutting his face on a piece of "protruding metal", the Evening News can reveal.

Janitors were given just over 9000 by Lothians councils in the past two years.

One received 5000 from East Lothian Council for an accident that involved a wheelie bin falling into a pothole while he was moving it, which caused him a back injury.

Another was given 2750 by the same authority after slipping on black ice at school and injuring his ribs and wrist, while a janitor in West Lothian was given a 1316 payout after slipping on an untreated path.

The four Lothians councils have paid out 27,391 in compensation to staff and pupils in the past two years alone, according to the figures obtained under freedom of information laws.

A number of claims submitted by school staff and pupils have yet to be concluded, and include an allegation of bullying made by a pupil and an allegation of illness suffered due to "defective equipment" made by a teacher.

Outstanding claims also include those submitted by three teachers who slipped on wet floors, a pupil who injured their face after tripping during PE and an admin staff member hurt tripping on a step.

Other claims have been refused a payout, including one made by a teacher who received a head injury after being assaulted by a pupil in Midlothian, a primary school pupil whose jacket was put down a toilet and a staff member whose engagement ring was damaged whilst pushing nursery equipment across a car park.

Lothians MSP Alison Johnstone said: "While there are genuine reasons, there will be some other claims which are either hard to justify or are a result of mismanagement."

In total, Edinburgh City Council paid out 10,051 to school staff in injury claims in the past two years and 499 to pupils for property and injury.

East Lothian Council paid out the most - 14,788 - with the most expensive claim going to the boy who cut his face after falling in the playground.

A spokeswoman said: "We have had very few serious incidents. When incidents occur, we carry out rigorous investigations to try to prevent them happening again."

A West Lothian Council spokesman added: "There has been a sustained downward trend in education claims."