A five-year-old boy lost the tip of his finger when it was trapped in a toilet door at school. 

The Year 1 pupil at Danetree Primary School in Epsom trapped his right hand in a door, causing the tip of his middle finger to become detached. 

The boy had to undergo surgery to re-attach his finger at St Georges Hospital in Tooting. 

The school trust has now been fined £6,000 after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that its failings had led to the incident, which took place in June 2022. 

There was no door guard installed for the toilet door. 

Younger pupils were usually taught in a newer building where hinge guards had been fitted on the doors, but at least once a week they used another building to learn about music and science. 

There were no hinge guards in this building and the young pupils were allowed to use the toilets unsupervised. 

HSE principal inspector Emma Stiles said: “This little boy and his family could have been spared a lot of pain and upset if the trust had installed widely available, effective and inexpensive hinge guards on the doors the young children had access to. 

“I would ask all schools to review their estates to make sure they have hinge guards where needed so no other children are hurt in this way when at school.” 

GLF Schools, the trust that runs Danetree Primary School, had failed to identify the risk to its Key Stage 1 pupils while using the toilets, the HSE found. 

GLF Schools, of Banstead in Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. 

The trust was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £6,875.70 in costs at Staines Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (October 30) 2024.