Thurlow Educational Trust has been fined £80k after a classroom ceiling collapse at Rosemead Preparatory School in London injured 15 children and their teacher
15 Year 3 pupils aged between seven and eight suffered upper limb fractures, cuts and concussions as a result of the classroom ceiling collapse.
The collapse happened at around 9.30am on 15 November 2021 at Rosemead Preparatory School in Dulwich, London.
There were 16 pupils in the class, but only one student was unscathed, having been standing by the doorway when the incident happened.
The trust failed to ensure that the ceiling was load-bearing
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found items such as desks and chairs were stored in an unsuitable area in the school’s attic. This area was not designed to be load-bearing and led to the ceiling collapsing.
The HSE investigation also found Thurlow Educational Trust had failed to undertake any structural or load bearing capability assessments of the area being used to store the items.
The trust had also failed to assess whether the area in question was appropriate to be used for the storage of these items.
Students should not have to worry about structural safety at school
Thurlow Educational Trust, of Thurlow Park Road, Dulwich, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The trust was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £7,116.31 in costs at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 29 August 2023.
HSE inspector Samuel Brown said: “This incident has resulted in injuries to multiple young children due to the failings of the school to ensure that chairs and tables were safely stored above their classroom.
“Schools should be a place where children can come to learn from teachers and one another without having to worry about their safety.
“Fortunately, this incident did not cause any more serious injuries, but the mental and emotional impact of such an event should not be understated.
“Employers need to take action to ensure that building stability and solidity problems are not caused through overloading areas not designed to bear weight. As proven, the failure to do so can have severe consequences.”
