Head teacher denies pupil roof fall charge

A head teacher denied a health and safety breach today after a pupil was seriously injured when he tumbled from the roof of his school.

John Summerfield, head of Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby, Merseyside, is alleged to have taken a group of students on to the roof when the 18-year-old fell 2.5m (8ft) through a skylight.

The youngster fractured his skull, broke his ribs, perforated an eardrum and suffered permanent damage to his eye in the fall, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.

Summerfield, of Moorland Avenue, Crosby, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today where he pleaded not guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to take reasonable care for the safety of his students.

He was bailed until his trial on September 27.