| | John Carvel and Clare Dyer | | | | claiming compensation for | | | | should have done better. ‘If |
| | | | | | bullying at school.’ | | | | you have a Hackney Downs |
| | | | 5 | | Doug McAvoy, general sec- | | | | situation and kids lose out, |
| | | | | | retary of the National Union | | | | shouldn’t you have a right to |
| | | | | | of Teachers, said the case | | | | compensation?’ |
| 1 | | LOCAL authority insur- | | | | opened a frightening prospect. | | 9 | | Last year the Government |
| | ance companies this | | | | ‘The costs might be met by | | | | closed Hackney Downs, an |
| | week promised vigo- | | | | public liability insurance, but | | | | east London comprehensive, |
| | rous resistance in the courts to | | | | that would lead to higher pre- | | | | after a team of experts decided |
| | litigation by two teenagers | | | | miums, which could have a | | | | its standards had declined |
| | who are trying to make legal | | | | devastating effect on schools’ | | | | beyond rescue. |
| | history by suing their former | | | | ability to provide education | | 10 | | The Department of Educa- |
| | schools after failing to get | | | | for every child.’ | | | | tion said the case was a matter |
| | good enough exam results. | | 6 | | Jack Rabinowicz, solicitor | | | | for the schools and individuals |
| 2 | | Zurich Municipal, the lar- | | | | for the 17-year-olds, said it | | | | concerned. But David Blun- |
| | gest local government insurer | | | | was ‘unlikely the case would | | | | kett, the shadow education |
| | in Britain, said it had a duty to | | | | open the floodgates’. He did | | | | secretary, said he was against |
| | policy-holders to avoid out-of- | | | | not name his clients or their | | | | the US approach to litigation, |
| | court settlements which might | | | | schools - two out of more | | | | which led to allocating blame |
| | encourage a rash of specula- | | | | than 200 classed as failing by | | | | for problems instead of |
| | tive claims by disgruntled stu- | | | | the Office for Standards in | | | | solving them. |
| | dents. | | | | Education. | | 11 | | The case is one of dozens of |
| 3 | | The educational establish- | | 7 | | The girl left school two | | | | pending ‘educational negli- |
| | ment was shocked by the dis- | | | | years ago without GCSEs and | | | | gence’ suits being brought by |
| | closure that two 17-year-olds | | | | the boy got much worse gra- | | | | ex-pupils against schools and |
| | have secured legal aid to sue | | | | des than expected. Both say | | | | local education authorities |
| | the governors of schools criti- | | | | they had reasonable school | | | | they claim let them down and |
| | cised by the inspectorate for | | | | reports and had been expected | | | | ruined their prospects. |
| | failing to provide a satisfac- | | | | to do well. They are studying | | 12 | | In a test case on expulsions, |
| | tory education’. | | | | at sixth form colleges and are | | | | a 25-year-old who was asked |
| 4 | | Graham Lane, education | | | | suing for the cost of tuition, as | | | | to leave school at the age of |
| | chairman at the Association of | | | | well as loss of earnings from | | | | six because he was ‘too diffi- |
| | Metropolitan Authorities, said | | | | delayed entry into the job | | | | cult to teach’ is claiming com- |
| | the action was outrageous. | | | | market. | | | | pensation for having his edu- |
| | You cannot run society like | | 8 | | Mr Rabinowicz said young | | | | cation ruined. |
| | this. This must be fought | | | | people were entitled to com- | | 13 | | The flood has been un- |
| | properly. We cannot have | | | | pensation in cases where the | | | | leashed by a House of Lords |
| | another out-of-court settle- | | | | school was officially labelled | | | | ruling in June 1995, which |
| | ment like the one conceded | | | | as failing its pupils and when | | | | laid down that schools owe a |
| | recently by the London | | | | it could be shown that they | | | | duty of care to pupils. |
