Pupil's death on Spanish exchange trip ruled accidental

Max McMullen was a pupil at Beechen Cliff School in Bath

A 15-year-old boy who fell out of a seventh floor window during a school trip to Spain died by accident, an inquest has found.

Max McMullen fell out of his host family's apartment on 19 October 2019 while on an exchange trip in Córdoba .

His family said in a statement outside Avon Coroner's Court they would "never forgive" what had happened to him.

The inquest heard the pupil from Bath might have been trying to fix a window shutter before he fell to his death.

"The trauma of the past three years preparing and waiting for the inquest has been more emotionally draining than ever imaginable," the family statement continued.

"We now know the conclusion was an accident, so if nothing else, we hope that schools and organisations follow and review their policies and safety for children, especially on foreign exchange trips to prevent a future accident.

In a family statement read outside court they said they could never forgive what had happened to him

"We will never forgive what happened to Max.

"He had such a bright future ahead of him full of success and happiness that was so cruelly taken from him.

"Max will never be forgotten by everyone who knew him. You just could not forget him, he was one of a kind."

The two-day inquest heard no evidence to suggest the Beechen Cliff School pupil sought to take his own life.

A number of witnesses told the court Max seemed to be a happy young man who loved sport.

While witnesses said he had experienced some low moods in the past, he appeared to be settled and seemingly had been enjoying the trip, despite not getting on with his exchange partner.

Max was a keen sportsman

The court heard previously that Max and his friends from school had met in a local park on the night he died.

He left the group at about 22:00 local time (21:00 BST) and his body was found on the ground outside of the host's apartment about an hour later.

Spanish investigators recorded the host's mother saying she heard Max returning to the residence at 22.45 local time (21.45 BST).

She said he went to his bedroom and she heard the window blind being raised and the grill being "shaken vigorously," and then there was a loud bang.

The shutter was found close to Max's body outside the apartment, the inquest was told.

The Spanish authorities found no signs of any violence.

In a statement read on the first day of the inquest, his mother Karen McMullen said Max's death had "traumatised" the family.

The inquest also heard from Kate Marshall, the lead Beechen Cliff teacher on the trip, who no longer works for the school.

She told the inquest there had never been a serious problem with accommodation before.

He was described as a chilled and amusing 15-year-old

Ms Marshall said she only learned during the inquest the overseas accommodation had not been inspected, but added: "We never visit the (English) host families, but our school knows them and we do DBS checks."

The coroner Maria Voisin asked Alun Williams, CEO of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, a multi-academy trust of which Beechen Cliff School is a part, what measures had been put in place since to ensure such a death did not happen again.

He said: "We must seek written confirmation that families are suitable to host our children.

"I also put in a policy around ensuring we get risk assessments for other activities that might take place while children are abroad."

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