Protect valuable school bags with home insurance

With the onset of the new school year, parents need to rethink their insurance policies as well.

This is because the value of the average school bag has risen to £450, as kids carry mobile phones, Game Boys and MP3-players with them.

And with official statistics from the Home Office revealing that over a third of ten- to 15-year-olds have been the victims of theft or assault, uninsured school bags could cost parents dearly.

In only 12 months, the value of school bags has risen from £400 to £450, Martin Scott from Churchill Home Insurance confirmed.

This means that a family with two children could have nearly £1,000 to replace if something happened to their uninsured school bags.

This insurance crisis could be avoided however if parents reassess their home insurance policy, as personal possessions could be added to the home contents.

By adding cover for personal possessions to the home insurance policy, any loss or theft of items remains covered – even if this takes place outside the home.

Mr Scott explained that this added insurance cover could add as little as £30 or £40 to a home insurance policy in a year. And he pointed out that it is equal to a fifth of the cost of a yearly insurance premium.

And with Halifax last year receiving 20,000 claims for personal belongings - most valued over £400 – this extra home insurance cover might be worth it.