The parents of a 16-year-old boy have slammed his school's health and safety rules after their son suffered two horrible injuries while playing football. Reece Meyer was enjoying an innocent kickabout with his friends at break-time when he fell and broke his leg in two places.
It was the second time the teen had injured himself at The Kings CE Academy in Kidsgrove, outside Stoke-on-Trent. Aged 14, the schoolboy fell and injured his face, breaking two teeth.
Reece's mum Jenna Taylor, and dad Kevin Meyer, said that while accidents do happen, they think the school is not doing enough to prevent such horrific incidents from happening. The worried couple said they don't believe proper risk assessments have been carried out when children are playing football on the tarmac at break times, StokeonTrentLive reports.
The schoolboy, who has always led an active life, playing football for the school team as well as Kidsgrove Athletic since he was six, was devastated when he fractured his tibia and fibula on January 17. While all players had to wear shin pads on the pitch when playing official games, there were no similar rules in place when playing at break time.
The children were also playing on the tarmac at the time instead of the Astroturf pitches. Now, his leg injuries have left football-mad Reece fearing he will struggle to find work in the future.
Jenna, 35, from Kidsgrove, said: "The first accident he broke his teeth at the front. Since then they've got new facilities, but they're playing football on the tarmac at dinner time instead of the Astroturf.
"I don't understand how risk assessments have said that it's safe to play football there. How can it be safe knowing that a child has smashed his face there already?
"Now he's had a second injury. They don't want to take any responsibility."
Kevin, 40, added: "There hasn't been anything put in between the two accidents. It's not a scuffed elbow, it's life-changing injuries.
"The first time we got a call from the school and they said can you run up and get Reece, he's had a little bit of a bump on his face. We walked around and it looked he'd done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson.
"They haven't even apologised. The second time he was on the playground, there's about 30 or 40 lads all playing football and he stood on the ball and fell. We're just struggling. We don't know where we're at with it.
"He's absolutely destroyed, he's played football since he was six years old for Kidsgrove Athletic. He doesn't know what to do. He thinks he's going to have to go on the dole. It's heart-breaking.
"I would just like them to say that he was in our care. Once he's in their care your child should be looked after."
Reece told StokeonTrentLive he fears he won't be able to take up an apprenticeship because of his injuries. He said: "At lunch we got the football from the reception and all went outside. I went for a challenge and next thing I knew I was on the floor with a snapped leg.
"I was in shock. I couldn't remember part of it after. I thought I was dreaming until I realised I was in hospital.
"I've been very sick, temperatures in the night and really aching legs. I'm struggling to get around, I'm stuck in bed until my mum can help me on my crutches.
"I always go out and play football. I'm just worried about apprenticeships at the moment, because I can't walk. I wanted to do practical stuff. I'm not sure how that's going to go from now on.
"Me and my mum have been looking at apprenticeships. I've tried for some already, I'm looking at gas companies, National Grid, Severn Trent at the moment."
A spokesman for the Three Spires Trust, which runs the school, said: "Whilst you will appreciate that we cannot comment on any incident or pupil specifically, we can assure you that the safety and well-being of our pupils is paramount. We take health and safety very seriously and deal with any incidents and concerns in line with our policies and procedures."
