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

[MaterGator]

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?

What was the head doing in the lunch hall?

Having lunch presumably. At my ds's school the entire school, pupils and staff, eat together.

You can buy a a new bridge from any good musical instrument shop and I think they only cost a couple of pounds.
If you loosen off the strings at the main pegs then fit the bridge according to the thickness of strings/ corresponding grooves in the bridge and retighten the strings.

Why not give the music teacher a new bridge and he/she could replace it in minutes?

I'm curious as to why the school have accused you of mental health issues and warned others against you. That's completely unprofessional and wrong . . .

But I'm curious as to what the past issues were that led to that?

And if any of those can be resolved.

Continued antagonism on both sides won't help long term if you plan to keep your children there and have to deal with them for a few more years.

Did the governors really say you were mentally ill? Honestly? Or did they suggest that you are an anxious parent or something like that?

If this was my child I would offer to pay

A bit surprised that you are questioning this

If you don't pay then you are potentially disadvantaging other children not the school.
Because they will then put in place measures to stop someone refusing to pay again, be it deposit before, or just not letting children whose parents can't/won't pay do it.

That's what happened at my school. Violin (which was free) was never given to the council estate children because they'd had a couple of incidents where the violin had gone home and either been damaged (and the parents couldn't/wouldn't pay) or been sold.
It was a bit ironic that the free lessons were then generally only given to those whose parents could probably afford the lessons.

^^

DwWe is spot on with what she says. If you don't pay for the repair, MatorGator, you will be disadvantaging other children. Your conscience should not let you do this, even though your moral compass is so fragile!

All those going on about whether the school insurance... even if they do nobody in their right mind would claim for a bridge that you can pick up for no more than a couple of pounds!! It would only be used if the violin was so badly damaged a replacement was needed.

I'm of the view that if my DD ever breaks anything - whether another child's book or something belonging to the school I would absolutely expect to pay for its repair or replacement. No question about it.

So yes, pay for it to be repaired and use this example as a valuable lesson to your child about the importance of looking after things and more importantly things that are valuable and have been loaned.

If he dropped it accidentally, I don't think you should pay.

Your child is only 6. Children of that age are very likely to have accidents that involve dropping things. Schools know that. Violins are pretty fragile. IMO the school should either have insured the instruments or sought advance agreement from individual parents that instruments could not be used by children unless the parents agreed to be responsible for breakages. Sounds to me as though the school has simply cocked up and failed to address this very obvious issue before giving out the violins.

Insurance at the school I work at has a £250 excess, so there would be no point in claiming for a violin part.

Of course you should pay, it should have been offered by you before they had chance to ask you to repair. Am very surprised at the number that wouldnt pay for something their child damaged.

I would love to hear the head and governors version of all the events as i suspect it would vary a great deal. If the school was as bad as you say you would habe withdrawn your children immediately and complained to the LEA.

I'm surprised that you would consider going to the LEA about a broken bridge on a violin but not when you have been verbally abused repeatedly by the headmaster and publically been branded insane by the board of governors.

I'm quite surprised that anyone would need to be asked tbh surely if your child breaks something that isn't theirs then you offer to repair or replace? By failing to do so you are depriving other children of the same opportunity.
If OP you have issues with the HT and governing body then that is entirely separate but for me by leaving your children there then you have accepted that they aren't a deal breaker and so you shouldn't be using them to justify poor behaviour on your part.

Doh? Common sense? Who do you think should pay for it? Also, every school I know charges for lost reading/library books.

Even the thread title is absolutely bonkers.

You pay for the thing that was broken when your child dropped the violin. End of story. no need to make it into an argument. If you do not wish your child to continue violin lessons, fine, stop the lessons, hand the Violin back, but give it back in working order.

I run an after school sports club that involves children taking home a "loan " item. I get parents to sign n return a loan permission slip which gives them the replacement cost in case their child loses or brakes the item. I suspect most parents don't read it tho. No one has yet had to replace a £200 item.