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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

School want me to pay for something my child broke? Can they do this?

143 replies

MaterGator · 26/06/2013 19:43

My child broke an instrument during a music lesson at school. It's a state primary school, he's Year 2 - six years old. The school offers violin lessons as an extra. The lessons are arranged by the school, happen during the school day and are taught by an outside teacher whom bills us directly. The school purchased a small supply of violins for prospective violinists to borrow during their first term. My son came home with one of these and has had lessons for a term. There was no 'engagement letter' or hire contract etc.

He has accidentally damaged the violin and the music teacher sent it home with a note saying I had to take it to be repaired and pay for it. Can they do this? I was never told I was responsible for the instrument in this way.

If a child breaks something in the classroom parents wouldn't be asked to replace it would they? Is this different?

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Letticetheslug · 26/06/2013 19:58

my son (5) broke the bridge of his cello, we paid.

CaterpillarCara · 26/06/2013 19:59

Your children do have a right to attend. I don't think they have the right to damage things and not make good that damage - in this case by paying.

Them saying awful things to you was horrible and I am sorry to hear it, but is not a related issue.

Justfornowitwilldo · 26/06/2013 20:00

Surely if you're handing out violins to 6 year olds you'd insure them/ask parents to insure them?

If he was swinging it around his head/using it as a machine gun substitute I'd pay. If he dropped it or bumped into something whilst cat strangling playing I wouldn't.

CharlieBlanche · 26/06/2013 20:00

I would have thought that the key question might be whether you want your son to continue with his lessons? I would think that there might be a case to be made that if the violin can't be repaired then he won't have an instrument.

How on earth did he break it though? I did lessons for years & can't quite picture the circumstances...?

Rainbowinthesky · 26/06/2013 20:00

I'm with hulababy. I would assume I had to pay.

Smartiepants79 · 26/06/2013 20:01

I'm fairly sure you have to sign an agreement before you are allowed an instrument for this kind of lesson normally.
Very odd that you haven't.
Child is considered responsible for ( an expensive ) piece of equipment.
It is a bit different to a broken pencil...
If he broke it you should pay for it.

40thisisit · 26/06/2013 20:02

Yes, depends on how it was broken, if a genuine accident then NO you shouldn't have to pay.

maja00 · 26/06/2013 20:03

If it was damaged at school, you have no agreement about borrowing it and weren't warned that charges apply, I'd be reluctant to pay tbh.

Maybe call the school and ask if it is insured?

I'd want to find out whose responsibility the violin actually is.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 26/06/2013 20:03

Someone needs to pay for the damage, and since it was your child who caused the damage, I am afraid I think you need to pay.

In the long term, the school needs to make sure that either they have insurance for the violins (and any other expensive instruments they loan out), or that the parents who borrow the instruments do, but I appreciate this wont help you right now.

maja00 · 26/06/2013 20:05

If the school give my child something expensive and they break it, I wouldn't want to pay unless I'd actually agreed to take responsibility up front.

Sirzy · 26/06/2013 20:05

How on earth did he break it though? The OP keeps managing to dodge that question, too keen to slag off the school (dispite still sending her children there!)

I agree with those who say if my child broke something I would replace it/pay for repairs.

ihearsounds · 26/06/2013 20:06

What has been damaged on the instrument and how?

tinytalker · 26/06/2013 20:06

I've always paid if a book has been damaged. Common courtesy really. School's are NOT bottomless pits of cash!

ZolaBuddleia · 26/06/2013 20:06

How many children are in the lesson and what happened to cause the damage? Is it a write off or will a small repair fix it?

Sam937 · 26/06/2013 20:07

Just tell em to fuck off... It's not your responsibility. You were not looking after the LF

CharlieBlanche · 26/06/2013 20:08

Maja00. Aren't you tacitly accepting responsibilty by accepting the instrument into your home though?

MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 26/06/2013 20:09

I think it depends TBH. If it was a genuine accident then the school should pay, he was using it under their supervision so you cannot ensure it's safety. If it got broken because he was being very silly with it then morally I think you should pay. Did the school offer you insurance for it?

CharlieBlanche · 26/06/2013 20:09

OP the Headmaster said that to you? I assume you put in a formal complaint to the LEA?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 26/06/2013 20:11

I think that, by accepting the loan of the violin, you have taken responsibility for it. You didn't think to check who was going to be responsible if the violin got damaged - you just assumed the school would.

If the violin isn't mended, some other child will miss out on the opportunity to learn to play, and if the school gets stung for the repair, there will be less money in the pot to pay for extra activities for the school's pupils.

Hulababy · 26/06/2013 20:13

Surely by allowing your child to sign up for lessons, presumably pay for lessons, and then bring said instrument home for practising means you have at least nominal agreement.

Are you sure there was nothing at all in the paperwork when you signed your child up for lessons?

onetiredmummy · 26/06/2013 20:15

My ds has guitar lessons , when I paid for the first lot of lessons I was told by the school to add the cost of it to the house insurance but as the liability is £40 I'd just pay it cash if needed.

If the accident happened in school id want full details before I forked out £40 but if it was ds's fault then I would pay without a quibble .

curlew · 26/06/2013 20:15

How did he break it?

SoupDragon · 26/06/2013 20:16

I am surprised you think that you don't have to pay to repair an expensive item.

scampidoodle · 26/06/2013 20:17

I think it might depend on whether the child had violin lessons as an extra or whether the school had arranged for the whole class to have a lesson in ordinary class time. If the former, then you would expect to have to sign for hire including agreeing to insure the instrument or replace it if it was damaged. If it is whole class then I think it's a greyer area - you'd expect your child to look after the instrument but accidents happen. It probably also depends on who actually owns the violins - the school/the teacher/the LA Music Service.

I used to work for a Music Service and I seem to remember our agreements were with schools for whole class lessons so the school should have given you an agreement if they ever expected you to pay for any damage. Fwiw, I don't really think you should pay unless your son deliberately damaged it.

eurozammo · 26/06/2013 20:19

What part of the violin is broken? It might well be very cheap to repair.

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