Family of boy crushed by whiteboard call for checks

Eli was unable to stand or walk after the incident, but has now recovered

Parents whose little boy was crushed by an interactive whiteboard that fell at a primary school are calling for more stringent checks.

Eli, seven, was injured when the digital whiteboard at St Gabriel's Catholic Primary School in Tamworth became detached from a wall and fell on him in May 2023.

His father Matt said: “The doctor made it quite clear that had this hit him on the head he would likely have been very seriously hurt if not killed."

Staffordshire County Council said it was working to ensure other equipment complied with safety standards.

The whiteboard became detached from the wall and crushed Eli

The family said Eli, who was six at the time of the incident, was unable to walk for several weeks and could not get up off his bed, on to the toilet or climb the stairs.

Eli’s mother Nikki said: “This board wasn’t fitted in a safe way. It was just really, really shocking and upsetting to think the most precious things that you have are put in danger when they go to school."

Eli has made a recovery since the incident in May 2023

As the type of whiteboard is widely used in schools across England, the family said they feared there could be other similar incidents elsewhere in the country.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the initial installation of the whiteboard had fallen below industry standards, allowing it to become detached with minimal force.

It wrote to the firm responsible for fitting it, requiring it to make sure equipment was safely installed in future and that existing installations are checked.

The HSE said it expected a response by 10 January.

Inspectors found the digital screen was not properly attached when it was installed

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for education, Jonathan Price said the local authority’s health and safety team was made aware of the incident on 26 May, and reported it to the Health and Safety Executive for investigation on 31 May once all the relevant information had been gathered.

"Since receiving the outcome of their investigation, we have been working with our partners Entrust to ensure the necessary improvements are made," he said.

"Our sympathies remain with Eli and his family, and we are working hard with Entrust to ensure an incident like this doesn’t happen again.”

The boy has recovered well and now attends another school.