A fight broke out in our school between two students at lunchtime, not witnessed by Supervision. One of the students suffered a fractured jaw. What should we do in response to this incident?

The school should respond to the incident in line with the school’s incident management policy/procedure. The immediate response should include; administering First aid and/or seeking medical attention; notifying the relevant parents/guardians immediately; contacting local Gardai if deemed necessary; etc.

The school should complete a National Incident Report Form (NIRF) as soon as possible, gathering all the relevant information e.g. statements/accounts, CCTV etc. The NIRF should then be input on NIMS by the school’s appointed inputter.

The school should then complete an incident investigation in line with the school’s incident management policy. The investigator should complete a thorough investigation of the incident and document any contributing factors e.g. was there a known issue with either student? Reported bullying? Previous altercations?

The findings of the investigation and any corrective actions/decisions should be brought to the attention of the Board of Management.

In addition, the school should follow up with parents in relation to the investigation findings and actions taken. It is important to be transparent and take disciplinary action if required (subject to the outcome of the investigation).

The school should retain all documentation relating to the incident to include incident report forms, investigation process and outcome, meeting notes, decisions, interactions etc. in line with the school’s record retention policy.