Parents plan school legal action

12 April 2012

Legal action is being planned by some parents whose children were injured when a heating vent fell on to them as they sat an exam in a school sports hall.

Eleven Year Nine pupils from Minster College on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, were taken to hospital, with four of them suffering serious head, neck and back injuries.

Initial findings by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that steel wires which attached the ducting to the hall roof failed, causing the metal structure to crash down.

Victoria Sullivan, whose son was among the seriously injured, said about nine parents are planning to sue amid criticism the hall should not have been in use.

"I just want answers more than anything else," she told BBC South East Today. "I feel sorry for the other parents because we sent our children off to school and it was not safe."

Headteacher Alan Klee said: "It's understandable that families of children involved in the incident want answers to what happened and are considering their legal position.

"They are not alone in wanting answers but we must wait for the Health and Safety Executive to finish its investigation and report its findings."

All 11 injured pupils have left hospital following last week's incident but Mr Klee said it was "very lucky" more of the 157 students who were in the hall at the time were not hurt.

The HSE said on Monday that inspectors had completed their evidence gathering at the site and control of the sports hall had been handed back to the college.

It said the evidence would be examined by the Health and Safety Laboratory in Buxton but that inquiries were likely to take "some time".

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