Schools urged to check trips insurance as ABI changes advice

Schools are being urged to check the specific details of their insurance policies for any school trips, after the Association of British Insurers (ABI) amended the advice on their website. The advice from the ABI has always been that schools should seek a refund from the venue in the first instance, but it had previously said that where a venue could no longer host a trip ‘because of official government guidance, the closure of the venue, or their reluctance to accept school trips due to their stated concerns about the spread of coronavirus, the school will be covered’. The last three words of that sentence have now been replaced with ‘should seek a refund from the venue’. The ABI says the amended advice reflects exclusions that are common in policies.   

In a statement, the ABI said: ‘If schools are planning trips they should check current government advice, the refund policies with venues or the tour operator, and the scope of their insurance cover. In the event of cancellation, schools should first seek a refund from the venue or tour operator. For any cost that cannot be recovered, schools should check the type and scope of their insurance cover. Claims will be paid if policy terms are met, however there may be Covid-19 exclusions in place for trips booked after the pandemic was declared. Where a tour operator has taken out a group travel insurance policy instead of the school, it is likely that the tour operator will be responsible to cover cancellations due to a change in government advice, as this will be considered a business risk which that company has taken on.’

ABI advice on insurance for schools can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y2zfxetq