Mother sues nursery after staff poured burning CHICKEN FAT on her five-year-old son leaving him with second degree burns
- Harrison Farrell spent three days in hospital after his leg was badly burnt
- Staff at Kids Academy in Leeds told his mother he spilt soup on himself
- Harrison's mother Katie Brewster, 30, immediately took him out of school
- She was then sent a bill for £634 after failing to give one month's notice
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A mother whose son suffered horrific burns at nursery when staff spilt boiling chicken fat on his leg has successfully sued the school.
Staff at Kids Academy in Leeds initially told Katie Brewster that her five-year-old son Harrison Farrell had dropped his own soup on his lap - but only later did an assistant admit a worker had tripped carrying a chicken dish.
Marketing executive Miss Brewster, 30, immediately withdrew her son from the nursery and was then sent a bill for £600 for failing to give a month's notice.
Five-year-old Harrison Brewster suffered serious burns after a nursery worker spilt chicken fat on him - his mother Katie Brewster, 30, from Leeds, has successfully sued the Kids Academy school in Holt Park, Leeds
The family sued the nursery and were awarded a five-figure sum after its insurers admitted liability for her son’s burns at Leeds County Court. Miss Brewster has put the money into a fund for her son.
But Harrison has been left with a large scar on his thigh following the incident at Kids Academy in Holt Park, Leeds,on July 24 last year.
Miss Brewster said: 'When I got the call at work, I was told that Harrison had spilled soup on his leg and that, just to be on the safe side, I might want to take him home.
'I went straight there, and on the way I contacted the doctor to make an appointment to have him checked out.
'When I got to the nursery I could tell Harrison hadn’t done it to himself straight away. I demanded to know what had happened. I was really shocked: he was really badly burned, but nobody had
even called for an ambulance.
'I was just appalled. Eventually one of the assistants told me what had happened and I was absolutely mortified.'
Harrison's leg was blistered where the hot fat had hit it - doctors say he will always have scarring there
'In so much pain': The injured child then developed an infection and had to spend three days in hospital
Harrison's worried mother took him straight to the doctor where the wound was dressed and then to A&E, where his large blisters were syringed and the wound cleaned.
Doctors told her he had sustained second-degree burns to his right leg, and the child had to spend three days in hospital when an infection developed.
Miss Brewster said: 'Harrison was really brave, but it was absolutely awful to see him in so much pain and discomfort.'
Once they got out of hospital and Miss Brewster removed her son from the nursery, she was astonished to receive a £634 bill for them for failing to give one month's notice.
She said: 'I'd already decided that they needed to be held to account for what they’d done, if only to try to make sure this didn’t happen to anyone else.
Kids Academy sent Harrison's mother a £634 bill after she withdrew him - for failing to give one month's notice
'But when I got the invoice that was just adding insult to injury. I knew it would be a struggle, but there was no way he was going back to the nursery.
'Now that this is all over, I’m just happy that Harrison’s injury wasn’t even more serious. He was under the care of the plastic surgeon for six months after the incident, but has now been discharged and we’re just concentrating on getting on with our lives.
'Thankfully the injury is healing quite well, and it hasn’t affected Harrison’s enjoyment of school. He’s back to being the happy little boy he was before all this started.'
Chris Baxendale, the family's lawyer, said: 'This was a scary ordeal, both for Harrison and his mum as well.
'Katie Brewster's shock, upset and outrage was entirely understandable'
- Chris Baxendale, solicitor for Harrison's family
'The injury he sustained was really quite severe, and Katie’s shock, upset andoutrage was entirely understandable.
'The nursery’s own prospectus points out the danger presented by adults carrying hot drinks, yet they failed to apply the same standards to fluids from hot food.
'The fact that the hot chicken was even being carried in the nursery area was in itself an act of negligence.'
A spokeswoman for Kids Academy said: 'Harrison’s parents and Ofsted were immediately notified of the incident.
'We co-operated fully with an Ofsted investigation. They concluded Kids Academy met all of its legal requirements and no further action was recommended.
'A copy of their report was sent to Ms Brewster. Harrison received compensation for his injury which the court has approved.
'Everyone at the nursery wishes Harrison and his family well for the future.'
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