Last Updated 28 November 2025. Parents trust school authorities to ensure their children’s safety while they learn and grow. However, if your child suffers an injury due to the school’s negligent actions, there may be grounds to claim compensation for the harm suffered and the financial losses incurred. The starting point for how to sue a school is gathering medical records, relevant correspondence, incident reports, and other evidence that can show how a third party’s negligent conduct caused your child’s injury.
What You Need To Know About Suing A School For Negligence
- What are some common causes of school accidents? They can occur because of slips, trips, falls, and defective equipment.
- Are there any typical school accident injuries? Yes, common school injuries include broken bones, lacerations, and head trauma.
- Can you sue the school on behalf of a child? Yes, if your child is under 18 and was injured as a pupil because of the negligent actions of their school.
- When can my child sue the school on their own? Your child can bring a claim against the school independently of another adult once they turn 18.
- How do you use evidence to sue a school? You can use your child’s medical records, photographs of broken equipment or poorly maintained areas, and any available CCTV footage.
Our empathetic advisory team understands the pain that comes with seeing your child injured and works hard to simplify the process of suing a school for negligence. They will go through the steps of starting a claim on your child’s behalf and collecting evidence to prove the school’s liability. Get in touch now to find out if a claim can be made.
We are here to help you
Here at How To Sue, our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free legal advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
Choose A Section
- How To Sue A School For Personal Injury
- Examples Of Accidents In A School
- What Evidence Is Needed To Sue A School?
- How Much Compensation Could I Get In A Claim Against A School?
- How To Sue A School With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Learn More About How To Sue A School
How To Sue A School For Personal Injury
Before learning how to sue a school, it is important to determine whether you have a basis for doing so. Schools, universities and nurseries are responsible for safeguarding students, staff, parents and visitors within the premises. This is known as the duty of care.
All schools are legally bound to comply with the requirements in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and are expected, as far as is reasonably practicable, to conduct their operations in a way that staff and pupils aren’t at risk. The Department of Education has provided guidelines for keeping children safe in education.
If you are wondering, ‘Can you sue a school for your child’s injury?’, you need to prove the following in order to make a compensation claim:
- The school owed a duty of care towards your child.
- They were in breach of this duty.
- Your child suffered an injury due to the above breach.
For example, If a child was running around and tripped on their shoelaces, you won’t be able to claim against the school since it isn’t their fault. However, if a child is injured on a swing which is in a poor state of disrepair and the school authorities were aware of the issue but did nothing to fix the defective swing set, you may have a valid claim against them.
You may wonder if you have sufficient evidence to support your claim. Our advisors can provide more guidance on how to sue a school and provide a free assessment of your case.
Examples Of Accidents In A School
The duty of care that a school owes is set out in two main pieces of legislation. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 outlines the duty of care that they owe staff, visitors and pupils who attend the school. It states that all reasonably practicable steps should be taken to reduce or remove hazards that pose a risk of injury.
Below, we have included some examples of accidents that could occur on school grounds and the injuries they could result in:
- Slips, falls and trips: A slip or trip accident could cause a range of different injuries. For example, a parent picking up their child might slip on a loose carpet tile, causing them to fall and sustain a broken cheekbone. Similar accidents could happen to a school employee.
- Defective equipment: It is down to schools to ensure their equipment, including playground equipment, is safe enough to be used and replace them if there are any faults. For example, a child could be on a swing when the chain breaks, causing the child to fall to the floor and sustain a break or fracture.
- Accidents on school trips: Schools are still responsible for children on school trips and should supervise children to prevent potential accidents. They should also ensure that they only take children on appropriate trips and ensure that any locations where trips are arranged have the appropriate safety measures in place. Failure to do so could cause an accident resulting in a broken rib.
Read on to find out more information on how to sue a school. Additionally, you can use the live chat feature on this page to discuss your case with an advisor.
What Evidence Is Needed To Sue A School?
One of the most important steps you can take while taking legal action against a school is collecting evidence. Evidence strengthens and supports your case, and this kind of proof can increase your chances of receiving compensation.
Some examples of evidence that you could use to sue a school include:
- Photographs of your child’s injuries, or of the accident site. For example, this could include a broken swingset or desk.
- CCTV footage of the accident. If your child’s school has CCTV, you may be able to request the footage of the accident.
- Witness statements. While you can’t take these statements yourself, you can take down the contact details of teachers or support staff who witnessed the accident so a professional can take their statements at a later date.
- Medical records that show the extent of their injuries. This can include x-rays and test results.
If you choose to work with a solicitor, they can help you prove your claim by exploring new avenues for evidence and potentially arranging for your child to undergo an independent medical assessment.
To learn more about how to sue a school with one of our expert solicitors, get in touch with our team of friendly advisors today.
How Much Compensation Could I Get In A Claim Against A School
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is a document that legal professionals may use to value claims. The estimations in the guidelines are based on previous court cases where compensation has been awarded.
It is worth noting that the figures only account for general damages. This is the part of your settlement that relates to the pain and suffering caused by your injuries or your child’s injuries if you’re claiming on your child’s behalf. You can view figures for certain injuries below, but note that the first entry is not based on the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | Guideline compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Special Damages | Serious | Up to £500,000+ |
| Leg | Severe (b) (i) | £117,460 to £165,860 |
| Severe (b) (ii) | £66,920 to £109,290 | |
| Pelvis and Hips | Severe (a) (i) | £95,680 to £159,770 |
| Moderate (b) (i) | £32,450 to £47,810 | |
| Knee | Severe (a) (i) | £85,100 to £117,410 |
| Moderate (b) (i) | £18,110 to £31,960 | |
| Skeletal (facial) | Jaw fracture (e) (i) | £37,210 to £55,570 |
| Wrist | Less severe (c) | £15,370 to £29,900 |
You could also claim special damages, which relate to financial losses caused by your accident. You should be able to provide proof, such as bills, statements and receipts to support this head of your claim.
If your injury is not listed, speak to our team of advisors. They could connect you with a solicitor if they think you have a valid claim.
What Happens To Compensation For Children?
If you make a successful claim against a public school or private school, your child will receive compensation. This compensation will be held in trust by the Court Funds Office (CFO).
If you are acting as your child’s litigation friend, you will have control of this account until they turn 18. However, in order to withdraw money from this account, you have to make a statement outlining how the payment will be used to support the child.
You may also be asked to provide evidence. For example, if your child suffered a brain injury and the money was needed to pay medical bills for specialist treatment, you may be asked to provide an invoice or a letter of treatment from the relevant doctor.
In most cases, the child will receive a letter or email from the CFO in the weeks before they turn 18, providing instructions on how to apply for their compensation. If their application is successful, their compensation will be released to them, and they will have complete control over it.
To learn more about suing a school, read on. Or, contact our team today for a free case review.
We are here to help you
Here at How To Sue, our expert advisors are on hand 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assess your compensation claim. Should you require free legal advice we can connect you to a specialist solicitor.
How To Sue A School With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you contact our advisors about your potential personal injury claim against a school, then they could review it to determine if you have a valid case. If they determine it is valid, then they could put you in touch with one of the solicitors on our panel.
Our panel of solicitors can support claims under a type of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under such an arrangement, you won’t need to pay your solicitor for their services before the claim begins or while it is being processed. You also won’t need to pay your solicitor for their work if the claim fails.
If you make a successful claim, then your solicitor takes a success fee from you. This means they’ll take a small and legally capped percentage of the compensation awarded to you.
To learn more about how to sue a school with a No Win No Fee solicitor, contact our advisors for free today. They can also offer you free advice for your specific case and answer any additional questions you may have about the claiming process. You can contact our team by:
- Calling 0800 408 7827
- Contacting us online.
- Or by using our 24/7 live chat service.
Learn More About How To Sue A School
If you’re wondering how to sue a school, you may find the following resources helpful:
- Get help on mental health – NHS guidance on mental health.
- Incident reporting in schools – The latest HSE stats on school accidents.
Here are some more of our guides you may find useful in regards taking legal action and how to claim compensation:
Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on how to sue a school. Get in touch for answers to any more questions you might have.