• A school fire destroyed personal belongings worth £900 (around $1,140)
• The school refuses to bear any compensation for the losses

A mother expressed her anger after a local council confirmed that her son, who lost belongings estimated at around £900 (around $1,140) in a fire that broke out inside the school, will not receive any compensation.

The boy, Dion (14 years old), had left a bag containing an iPhone, football shoes, and AirPods inside a temporary building at a school in Newport, before the fire broke out in July.

His mother, Carly James, said it was “disgusting” that neither the school nor the local authority took the initiative to compensate her son for the damaged belongings, calling for a change in policy for such cases.

The Newport City Council clarified that personal property is not covered under the insurance policy, adding that schools are not authorized to pay compensation in such circumstances, and advised the family to file a claim through home insurance.

The lost belongings included an iPhone 16 valued at around £600, AirPods worth £120, football shoes costing £80, in addition to house keys, a lunch box, and the bag itself.

James said she felt bewildered, noting that resorting to home insurance would raise its premiums even though the incident did not occur at home, and stressed that she cannot bear any additional financial burden.

She added that she had to borrow money from her 96-year-old grandfather to buy a new phone for her son.

The fire broke out before the start of the summer holiday inside a gym, and the council stated that its causes were not suspicious.

Although the building was empty and no injuries occurred, the bags of several students were damaged or burned.

The mother confirmed that the teachers asked her son to leave his bag in that place, noting that he followed the school’s instructions but was left without support.

She said that her son, a football player, now uses old shoes, and that the burnt phone had been a birthday gift he had received only three months earlier.

James called for a review of current policies, stressing that having the phone with her son at school is necessary as it helps him care for his younger brother.

In a joint statement, Newport City Council and the school administration expressed their sympathy with those affected, confirming that any compensation claims should be submitted through home insurance or family-specific policies, and that personal property is not covered by school or local council insurance, advising parents not to send valuable belongings to school unless insured.