Insurance

Any of the information below is just for rough guidance; you will need to make your own enquiries.

Deciding whether you need insurance

If you are just a group of parents meeting in a community centre or similar, singing some songs with toddlers and all parents stay for the sessions and take care of their own children, your group is unlikely to require insurance. Often public liability is included in the rent of rooms, but do make sure whether this is the case.

If you are not a registered group, but have any kind of ‘central management’ OR your group has volunteers working for you OR you have more than a few pound turnover, you should hold insurance in the group’s name.

If your group or school is incorporated or registered in any way, you should hold your own insurance.

Types of Insurance

Employers Liability

This is the only statutory insurance if there are volunteers and workers of any kind. It covers the group or school against illness, injury or death to your employees and volunteers, for example if a teacher was attacked by a child.

The definition of ‘employee’ is wide (i.e. it includes volunteers); this definition of an employee is different to the definition of an employee for tax purposes. This means your teachers can be employees for insurance purpose, but no employees for tax purpose.

Public Liability

This insurance covers your group or school for claims made against you by members of the public or other businesses. It covers damage to children and adults as well as damage caused by the children, volunteers or teachers. Examples would include damage claimed by a parent when one child injures another, or legal costs (school’s defence costs) for claims of negligence (for example accidentally starting a fire).

Most schools and groups should hold Public Liability insurance. However, if you only need insurance for damage to the rooms, your landlord’s Public Liability insurance may be sufficient for you.

Cyber Liability / Data Protection Insurance

In particular if you are teaching online, please also consider cyber security / data protection insurance, but do check with your general public liability insurance as this may give you sufficient cover.

Product Liability

Product liability is normally linked to the Public Liability and a school would not need an extra insurance. It would for example cover damage caused by food and other products offered to pupils and parents.

Property Insurance

If a group or school is responsible for accidental damage to rented rooms, they may consider to hold additional Property insurance.

Professional Indemnity

Professional Indemnity covers legal costs as well as any costs that may be awarded if the holder is alleged to have provided inadequate services. If there is no expectation of formal learning, schools do not need professional indemnity insurance. Example: If a school hires rooms to give lessons or organise activities, there is no exam preparation, with parents present or absent, they do not require professional indemnity.

GCSE preparation: If there is no expectation on parents’ side that their children will pass exams, a school doesn’t need professional indemnity. A school could set up a contract with the parents to confirm that there is no obligation.

Professional Indemnity for teachers: Teachers as individuals may want to hold Professional Indemnity insurance if they give lessons to pupils outside the school or the school subcontracts lessons to a self-employed teacher. Please see XX for information about teachers’ employment status.

Insurance Providers and Brokers

Here are some providers and brokers that we know cover small groups and supplementary schools. This list is not exhaustive.

Some tips when enquiring about insurance

• Make sure that any broker you use does not charge you.
• Ask what maximum number (of children, staff) their minimum policy includes so you don’t have to inform them if number increases but are still below threshold.
• Always tell the insurer in detail what activities the school does (What do you do? How many people involved? Where does it take place? How often? etc)
• If additional premises are used or one off activities take place (but on regular basis) try to include them in the main policy, as it should be cheaper.
• Legal Expenses: No need for extra insurance as covered through public liability. Check whether your insurer charges you extra for this as it often gets thrown into an offer. 
• Check that Physical or sexual abuse is included in Public Liability and what it covers.
• One off activities, for example trips, can be added as and when they take place.
• Check with landlord whether your rent includes public liability.