Boy Hospitalised After Running Into A Wall During PE

Boy Hospitalised After Running Into A Wall During PE
Stock photo of Sevenoaks Magistrates Court in Kent.
PA
Stock photo of Sevenoaks Magistrates Court in Kent.

A schoolboy was rushed to hospital after running into a wall during PE - a week after the school was fined £10,000 because he was hit on the head during a shotput event.

Last week, governors of Judd School in Tonbridge, Kent, admitted failing to ensure the safety of a 14- year-old boy who nearly died from his head injuries after the incident on a sports field.

But last Friday, a 12 year-old pupil apparently ran into a wall after a 100 metre sprint and was taken to hospital.

The local paper reports that the boy suffered a bang to his forehead and was taken to Pembury Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, but was released soon afterwards.

Days earlier Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court heard the school failed to follow its own safety guidelines during a PE lesson last June where a pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was hit on the back of the skull during a shotput event.

The teenager was rushed to King's College Hospital in London for emergency brain surgery because parts of his skull had gone into his brain, causing swelling.

Magistrates heard the boy was in hospital for a month but has now returned to school.

However, the keen rugby player has been told he will never play again.

The school was charged with breaching their general duty to the pupil and pleaded guilty.

Magistrates said the safety breach was 'substantial' and ordered the school to pay £10,000 in fines and £1,375 in costs.

The court heard that the boy had been part of the triple jump group and was returning to the centre of the field as the teacher whistled to signal the end of the lesson.

But the pupil who threw the shot says he didn't hear the whistle.

He started the throw with his back to the landing area the victim was standing beside, and it hit him on the head.

Following the incident the school said it had suspended their athletics lessons until a full audit was done and revised health and safety measures had been put in place.

Speaking after the ruling head teacher Robert Masters said they expressed 'deepest regret' over the incident. He had previously said: "We have re-examined all our safety procedures in PE and are in the process of doing the same across the whole school. We have also shared the lessons from this incident with other secondary schools.

"Whilst accepting that we cannot eliminate accidents altogether, we are as confident as we can be that a similar accident will not happen again in future."

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