School & Educational Premises Insurance
Most state schools are covered through their local authority or the Department for Education's Risk Protection Arrangement, so this page is about the education premises that arrange their own insurance: independent schools, private nurseries attached to schools, tuition and learning centres, and training campuses run by companies and charities.
Independent schools often occupy older buildings that have been extended in stages: a period house with a science block from the 1960s, a sports hall from the 1990s and modular classrooms added since. Each phase has its own construction, its own fire risk and its own maintenance issues, and the sum insured needs to reflect what it would cost to rebuild them all, not just the oldest part.
Buildings of this era also carry hidden problems. Asbestos was widely used in schools until its use was banned, and reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as RAAC, was used in roofs and floors of some buildings from the 1950s to the 1990s. Both affect maintenance, refurbishment and, in some cases, whether a building can be used at all.
We can advise independent schools, tuition providers and training organisations on insuring their buildings and contents, their liability to pupils, parents and visitors, and the fee income that would be lost if the premises could not be used.
Common claims and risk exposures
The exposures that produce claims in this trade, rather than a generic list.
Fire in older and mixed construction
Older school buildings may have timber floors, voids above suspended ceilings and extensions joined without full compartmentation. Science laboratories, kitchens, workshops and art rooms add ignition sources, and a fire during a holiday can go unnoticed for longer than in term time.
Asbestos and RAAC
Many older education buildings contain asbestos, and the duty to manage it applies to non domestic premises. Where RAAC is present, parts of a building may need propping or closing. Neither is an insured event in itself, but both affect refurbishment, the cost of reinstatement after a loss and how insurers view the property.
Pupil injuries and supervision
Playgrounds, sports, practical lessons and trips all lead to accidents. Claims involving children may be brought years after the event, and the school's records of supervision, risk assessments and incident reporting are central to defending them.
Boarding and residential pupils
Boarding houses mean children sleeping on the premises, which raises the same fire and life safety questions as other sleeping accommodation, along with pastoral and safeguarding duties out of school hours.
Out of hours lettings
Sports halls, pools, theatres and classrooms are commonly let in evenings, weekends and holidays to clubs, holiday schemes and events. The school remains the property owner, and the terms of each letting decide who carries the liability.
The cover we arrange
We arrange insurance around the property, its use, construction, occupancy and ownership structure. The cover available will depend on the individual risk and the terms offered by insurers.
Buildings
All teaching, boarding, sports and administrative buildings on a reinstatement basis, including modular classrooms, sports pavilions and grounds structures. Older or listed buildings and those with RAAC or asbestos may cost more to reinstate.
- Teaching, boarding and sports buildings
- Modular and temporary classrooms
- Professional fees and debris removal
- Cost of complying with current regulations
Contents and equipment
Furniture, IT and audio visual equipment, laboratory and workshop equipment, musical instruments, sports equipment and library stock. Portable equipment such as laptops used off site needs cover beyond the premises.
- IT and audio visual equipment
- Laboratory, workshop and music equipment
- Portable equipment off site
- Pupils' property where included
Public liability
Injury to pupils, parents, visitors and the public on the premises and during school activities, together with liability arising from lettings where the school is held responsible.
- Pupils, parents and visitors
- School trips and off site activities
- Lettings to third parties
- Limits often £5m or £10m
Loss of fee income
Fees from pupils and courses can be lost if premises cannot be used and parents move their children elsewhere. The indemnity period should allow for the time needed to rebuild and to rebuild the school roll, which may be longer than the building works.
- Fee and course income
- Increased cost of temporary premises
- Indemnity periods reflecting the school year
- Lettings and other secondary income
Employers' liability
Teaching, support and boarding staff are employees, and employers' liability is a legal requirement once you employ people. It can be arranged where required, subject to the policy terms, and the policy should reflect any staff working off site or on trips.
- Teaching and support staff
- Boarding and pastoral staff
- Staff on trips and off site
- Arranged subject to policy terms
Abuse and safeguarding liability
Allegations of abuse involving staff, volunteers or other pupils can be among the most serious claims a school faces. Cover depends on the wording, particularly in how historic allegations are treated, and safeguarding procedures are typically a condition.
- Defence costs and damages where covered
- Allegations against staff or volunteers
- Historic allegations depending on the wording
- Often a separate limit
What an underwriter will ask
Having these to hand shortens the process considerably, and usually improves the terms.
- Type of establishment: independent school, tuition centre, training campus or nursery
- Number of pupils or learners, age range and whether there are boarders
- Age and construction of each building, including modular classrooms
- Asbestos register and management plan, and whether RAAC has been surveyed for
- Fire detection, alarms and security, including during holidays
- Laboratories, workshops, pools and other higher hazard areas
- Lettings to third parties and the hire terms used
- Safeguarding arrangements, inspection outcomes and claims history
What affects the cost of your insurance?
The main factors insurers consider when assessing the premium.
Buildings and construction
The mix of building ages, construction types and listed status shapes the property premium. Asbestos or RAAC issues may affect both price and the insurer's appetite.
Pupils, boarding and activities
The number and age of pupils, boarding provision and the range of activities offered, including sport, practical subjects and trips, drive the liability rating.
Fire and security protection
Detection, alarms, sprinklers in newer buildings and security out of hours all influence terms, particularly on large or isolated campuses.
Safeguarding and claims history
Strong safeguarding arrangements, positive inspection outcomes and a clean claims record help. Any abuse allegations, even historic ones, are significant for terms.
Conditions and exclusions to consider
Terms vary between insurers, so treat these as the questions to ask rather than a description of any one policy.
Asbestos and RAAC remediation
Removing asbestos or replacing RAAC as planned work is not an insured event. Policies may cover some asbestos clean up costs following an insured loss, but the extent varies and some exclude asbestos liability altogether.
Holiday and vacant periods
Long summer closures are expected and normally acceptable, but buildings that are left empty for longer, such as a closed boarding house, may fall under unoccupancy terms with restrictions.
Hirers' liability
Clubs and holiday schemes using school facilities should hold their own public liability. Without it, or without hire terms that require it, a claim arising from their activity may land on the school.
Motor and minibuses
Minibuses and school vehicles need their own motor policy and are not covered by the premises insurance. The driving arrangements and any permits are a separate set of questions.
Common questions
We are an academy. Is this page relevant to us?
Academies and many maintained schools can use the Department for Education's Risk Protection Arrangement instead of commercial insurance, and local authority maintained schools are often covered by their authority. This page is aimed at independent schools and other education premises that arrange their own cover, though some state funded schools buy cover for areas the arrangement does not reach.
Does RAAC in our buildings stop us getting insurance?
Not necessarily, but insurers will want to know whether surveys have been carried out, what was found and what has been done. Buildings with RAAC identified and managed are more straightforward than those where the position is unknown.
Are pupils' belongings covered?
Some school policies include a limited amount of cover for pupils' personal property on the premises, often with a per item limit. Expensive items such as instruments and laptops are usually better insured by the family.
How long should our loss of fee income period be?
Long enough to rebuild and to recover the pupil roll. If parents move children to another school during a long closure, they may not return straight away, so many schools consider 24 months or more.
We let our sports hall to clubs. What do we need to check?
That your policy allows lettings, that hire agreements require clubs and instructors to hold their own public liability, and that you check it. The condition of the facility remains your responsibility, so maintenance records are still important.
How do I get a quote from True Risk Solutions?
Call 01304 262880 and speak to a broker, or email info@truerisksolutions.co.uk with what you do, what you need cover for and a phone number with the best time to call, and a broker will call you back. We need a phone number to quote, because the cover and the price depend on questions that are quicker to answer on a call than by email.
Speak to a specialist who understands your industry
Tell us about your business and the work you undertake, and we will come back to you with cover options built around it. Call 01304 262880, or email us with a phone number and the best time to call and a broker will ring you back.