To pay school for accidental damage

I know @noblegiraffe, completely slacking. Someone needs to go to the press, with sad face, and don't forget Ofsted

Why didn’t a teacher throw themselves between the kid’s foot and the window?

Does duty of care not mean anything these days?

you should not pay anything - they should have insurance for this.

I was thinking about this, with some framing it as the boy “attacking” and the innocent DS involuntarily going into self-defence mode like some well-trained marine where teachers would recognise it as two boys throwing each other around the corridor as happens with tedious regularity.

There were TWO boys. Amazed how many people can't grasp that.

Maybe all the posters on here who say schools should have glass that doesn't break would like to fund it (schools will have some form of safety glass or safety film on windows, doesn't stop them breaking but stops them shattering and potential injuries). If you want ultra strengthened glass then someone needs to pay for that

@SoSadForCav Even safety glass with crack so is broken but it doesn't shatter.

My guess is the cctv shows the reason why the school think they should pay up.
Can't believe why so many people won't support schools and their first instinct is to push back. Schools need parental help to enforce discipline .

Op, start with believing your son is likely to be at fault and work with the school see the footage

@SummerBunn

why should he 'take responsibility' for the mate that started messing about & why should either of the 'take responsibility' for the kid that accidentally kicked the door & broke it

& frankly why should the kids take responsibility for the school having non safety glass in a door that breaks with an accidental Kick??

the school is lucky none of them were hurt.

How many times a day do we hear "miss I'm just messing" or "miss it's just banter" I wonder?
My mum always warned us it would end in tears, and it often does.

You need to pay half. Show your son what it looks like to take responsibility.

Should defo pay half

Unless they were in some kind of chokehold

Entirely possible, given how these things usually go. Walk past a boy putting another boy in a headlock and tell them off "miss we're only messing".

So tedious.

I was teaching in a computer room today in which there are now not enough computers because a child was "just messing" at lunchtime and threw his water bottle at his mate, hitting and breaking a monitor beyond repair.

We used to lock computer rooms at lunch but so many parents complained that we backed down. We cannot afford to keep replacing things broken by "just messing".

It's the other kid who decided to kick the window through. Unless they were in some kind of chokehold it doesn't sound like your child is responsible.

FFS. I had two pairs of glasses destroyed by pupils (with severe and complex learning difficulties...it happens...not their fault). Even that wasn't covered by the school insurance.

You can tell the posters who work in schools

Both are responsible. Both should pay.

@noblegiraffe I'm not sure all the posters are getting your humour here! "But the door...!"

"But the school duty of care..." (hence the rules, guys!)
"but they have insurance..." (and nothing better they could spend that money on?)
"But he started it!"
"why weren't they being supervised?"

Parents take responsibility to show their kids about taking responsibility for their actions. Don't join in with the messing about.

I wouldn’t pay, particularly if the other child made the first move and grabbed from behind. Your son wouldn’t have known the friend was messing around simply that someone had grabbed him and he was defending h8mself

the other child’s parents should pay

Firstly, adult supervisors can't be everywhere. Secondly, I have seen kids do this in front of adults. Frequently.

Some of these answers show the problems school have, they are 14, they should take responsibility for their behaviour

Agree with this. My reading of it was the boys were being boisterous and your son may have grabbed the other boy such that he was trying to break his hold..glass was broken so they are both responsible. There is a key message that the school has to send as others will think they are getting away with behavior. Back the school to help them maintain discipline. It will also help your son to know they are consequences. I recall 18years doing similar outside a pub and ended up with a criminal record so they need the lesson.

I would ask to see the CCTV, just so you can see how your son was behaving and ask the school if this was safety glass. They may have meant cracked so didn't shatter but will need to be replaced.

Also report the school to Ofsted for not preventing two boys from having a tussle.

Schools are full of broken windows. If reinforced glass gets kicked it cracks. It has to be replaced as it is no longer safe. The boys are constantly kicking doors open, slamming through them , kicking them. Indoor voices, no running and polite queuing seem to be regarded as quaint old fashioned notions.

I would be concerned that the glass was so easily broken, potentially deadly. I'm pretty sure there are strict regulations about building materials in schools. My guess here is that the school is at fault. I'd report it to the Health and Safety Executive.

If your son was just acting in self-defense, you shouldn’t pay. The instigator should cover everything in that scenario. If he was joining in, you should pay.

insurance or the school budget should not be covering this. Remember, claims against insurance raise premiums so cost the school money.