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Education Insurance
Running an educational institution takes care and commitment – and a whole lot of support. The appropriate business insurance can help cover your employees, volunteers, teachers, and students when problems pop up on and off your property.
Educational institutions face unique risks every day—from student and staff safety to cybersecurity and property protection. Our specialized education insurance is designed to safeguard your people, your reputation, and your facilities.
We offer coverage for liability, property, cyber incidents, business interruption, volunteers, and more. We also provide abuse coverage, giving your institution crucial protection and support when it matters most.
Plus, you get access to practical tools and risk‑management resources to help keep your learning environment safe and resilient.
What type of business insurance does my educational institution need?
Whether you operate a large college or run a private school, your business helps foster a safe and positive learning environment. However, just like any other business there are risks that can come up in your day-to-day operations. We understand the unique challenges your business may face while providing educational services. As your business evolves, we’re here to help you make informed decisions on how to protect your employees and your students who depend on you. Educational businesses we provide coverage for can include:
- Adult Learning Facilities
- Colleges
- Dance, Music, and Art Instructors
- English Language Schools
- Extracurricular Schools
- Independent Private Schools K-12
- Nursery Schools
- Performing & Fine Arts Schools
- Public Schools K-12
- Trade Schools
- Tutoring Centres
- Universities
- Vocational Schools
What coverages can be included in education insurance?
Risks to educational institutions are often liability-related: many claims result from slips, trips, and falls. Incidents happen more often in poorly maintained and frequently used areas – think walkways, parking lots, and stairwells.
There are also times when difficult situations arise that no school ever wants to face. Allegations of abuse and harassment can occur – whether involving staff, volunteers, or even students harming or harassing other students. What would happen if an allegation was made, and your institution had to respond?
Abuse Coverage can help protect your school from the legal and financial impact of these claims, and we’re here to help you navigate the complex and sensitive challenges that come with them. We tailor our insurance to the most prevalent risks in the education industry – and some risks you may not have considered.
Accidents can happen in hallways and staircases, in classrooms, or on the playground. What would happen if someone was injured on your property and decided to sue? That depends on the coverage you have in place.
Whether or not you’re truly at fault, a lawsuit could result in substantial legal fees for you. Fortunately, your commercial general liability coverage can support you in these sorts of situations: it’s designed to help cover your business if a student, visitor, or any other third party suffers bodily injury or property damage wherever your business operates.
Water damage can be traced to a number of sources, from a leaky roof to a backed-up toilet, and kitchen fires can start from a single greasy pan. Educational facilities can sometimes be chaotic by nature, and with so much to supervise, these sorts of incidents could go unnoticed until after the damage is done. This coverage can also help protect your institution in the event of a large natural disaster like an earthquake, wildfire, or flood.
It’s important to take steps to prevent water and fire damage, but accidents can still happen. The right property coverage can help shoulder the costs to repair or replace equipment, accessories and incidentals, or even the building itself. Of course, each facility has different coverage needs, which is where your broker’s guidance can come in handy.
Do you bus students between buildings, on field trips, or to and from other offsite events? Waivers are crucial to cover your liability risk, but how about protection for your vehicles?
If you rely on your own vehicle, parent’s vehicles, or your staff’s vehicles to shuttle students around, make sure you’re not relying on your personal auto insurance: commercial auto insurance can go a lot farther, with coverage for injuries to drivers and passengers, costs for a replacement vehicle, and even lost wages that result from a covered accident.
Additional business coverages to consider adding to your education insurance policy
When working in the educational sector, you don’t want to take any chances. That’s why it’s important to have additional coverages tailored to your unique business needs, including:
What can you expect from your education insurance policy?
Our underwriting team understands the exposures in the education sector, so we can adapt and expand our offerings as our customers’ needs grow.
We hope you never experience a loss, but if you do, you can count on our dedicated claims team to help get you back to business. We’ll work together with your broker to get the claims process underway as soon as your claim is reported, and we’ll always keep you in the loop. If any questions or concerns should arise, don’t fret – we’re here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can enjoy the perks of your policy well before you experience a loss. Our Risk Services team works hard to help keep your education business running safely, smoothly, and consistently with detailed bulletins, workplace risk assessments, and onsite training.
Our Assist Services
On top of our comprehensive core coverage and exceptional customer service, your business insurance policy grants you access to our Assist services* for extra peace of mind.
Risk Management Assist
Our team of Risk Services specialists is at your service: customers can enjoy unlimited telephone access to experts who can help mitigate risks with advice and guidance on a range of loss prevention topics.
Managing your education business’ risk
Unparalleled education industry expertise, professional guidance, and innovative approaches to managing risk help our Northbridge Risk Services experts stay one step ahead of the competition. Each year, our team conducts over 5,000 risk assessments and service calls for businesses across Canada, including education facilities. Our on-site assessments are complemented by a selection of in-depth training programs and educational tools to help companies excel in their industries.
Our Risk Services team offers technical publications to help you gain a better understanding of the potential exposures in the education industry, and they can provide personal guidance to help fine-tune your daily operations. Find out more about what our experts can do for your business here.
Resources for education businesses
What is liability insurance?
Business owners face unique risks that could land them in legal trouble. With our industry expertise and a substantial network of top brokers, we can help protect your company with the right liability insurance.
How a loss prevention program can help your business
Preventing a loss may seem like common sense, but there’s more to it than you might imagine. When it comes to having a strong loss
* Legal Assist not provided for criminal, personal or insurance issues, do not provide representation in legal proceedings or legal fees coverage, and provided by Assistenza International, through lawyers licensed in your jurisdiction. Risk Management Assist provided by our Risk Services specialists and are intended to augment your internal safety, compliance and risk management practices, and are not a substitute for professional or legal advice. Trauma Assist provided by independent third-party professionals, long-term and specialized counseling not included. Cyber Assist is provided by an independent third-party service provider. Services are not included in any cyber extension or endorsements. Services are not an insurance policy, not all policies are eligible, contact us for details.