The idea of Duty of Care is very important when it comes to cases of negligence in schools and universities. A university has a legal responsibility to keep its students, teachers, and visitors safe. This means that schools need to take reasonable steps to prevent harm that could be anticipated.

1. What is Duty of Care?

• Duty of Care in a school setting is based on the relationship between the university and those associated with it.
• Universities should have safe buildings, provide proper supervision, and follow good safety rules.

2. How It Affects Negligence Claims:

• If something bad happens—like accidents in labs, on campus, or during school events—it’s important to determine if the university did not meet its Duty of Care.
• For example, if a student gets hurt in a chemistry lab because of poor safety, the school might be held responsible if it can be shown that the danger was predictable and could've been avoided.

3. Breach of Duty:

• A breach happens when the university does not follow the expected safety standards.
• Signs of negligence can include poorly maintained buildings, not having enough safety plans in place, or not training staff properly.

4. Causation and Damages:

• After showing that a breach happened, the next step is to prove that the breach caused the injuries (causation) and that there were real damages.
• For instance, if a student slips on a wet floor that wasn’t marked with a warning sign and gets hurt, the university's failure to fix the danger connects the breach to the injury.

In summary, the Duty of Care is key in deciding if universities are acting in a reasonable and responsible way. It plays a big role in whether negligence cases in the academic world are successful or not.