Have you thought about taking out school insurance for your child?

This Monday is the start of the school year. 12 million students will be heading back to school. But have you taken out school insurance for your child? If not, don’t worry, it’s still time to do it. Last year, 80% of parents did so.

School insurance is not compulsory, even if in practice it is the case

School insurance is a bit like comprehensive insurance for your child during their schooling. From a fall down the stairs to a broken leg on a ski trip, it protects them regardless of who is responsible for the accident, explains Philippe Bénet, president of AME, a mutual insurance company specializing in school insurance.

“School insurance includes two essential types of coverage: civil liability, which covers damage that the child may cause to others, for example if he breaks a friend’s glasses or if he involuntarily injures him in the playground. The second type of coverage is personal bodily injury, which covers damage suffered by the child, even if he injures himself, if no liability is identified.”

And if you’re wondering, in theory, school insurance is not mandatory. Even if in practice, it is, explains Ralph Ruimy, co-founder and president of Acheel.com: “It is optional for all activities that are linked to National Education. So physical and sports education, swimming pool, gymnasium. On the other hand, it is mandatory for everything that is canteen, snack, extracurricular activity. So if the child wants to go to the museum with his class, or if he wants to go on an outing, he will not be able to go if he does not have his school insurance. So saying that it is not mandatory is a bit like putting the children on the bench and telling them ‘if you do not have your insurance, you will not be able to go on an outing with your friends'”.

So to avoid this kind of situation for your child, it is better to take out school insurance. Especially since the prices are affordable, starting at ten euros per year for basic offers.