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FOR PRIVATE & INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN CANADA

Insurance & Risk Protection for Private and Independent Schools in Canada

The Insurance Market (TIM) is a specialized insurance brokerage serving private and independent schools across Canada. TIM helps schools protect their people, programs, and reputation with coverage designed for how schools actually operate.

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A trusted school insurance program supported by risk experts and former Head of School - Dr. Terry Sheridan, Education Practice Leader

Why you should partner with The Insurance Market

Independent schools partner with TIM because education-specialized brokers understand institutional risks that generalist commercial brokers miss — from athletic program liability to abuse allegations to overnight trip exposures. TIM provides in-depth risk assessments, board-ready reporting, and ongoing claims advocacy.

TIM focuses exclusively on insurance and risk protection for private and independent schools in Canada. TIM combines education governance experience with forensic-level financial analysis so business interruption coverage reflects how your school actually operates.

Running a school means balancing enrolment, staffing, facilities, governance, and family expectations. Standard commercial insurance often misses the risk realities of school environments — exposures that education-specialized brokers understand.

Education and Governance at the Core
  • Decisions understood through the lens of Heads of School, business officers, and boards of governors.
  • Recommendations built for school governance contexts — not generic commercial risks.
  • Conversations shaped by decades of real-world education leadership experience.
  • Risk analysis that reflects how independent schools actually operate.
What Schools Value About TIM
  • Coverage designed specifically for private and independent school exposures.
  • Board-ready explanations for complex insurance decisions.
  • Ongoing support after policy binding — including claims advocacy and annual reviews.
  • Confidence that limits and coverages reflect actual school operations.
More Than Policies on a Shelf

TIM connects your insurance program to operational risk management: staff training, incident procedures, documentation protocols, and board communication. When something happens, your school responds confidently.

TIM doesn't just sell insurance — we strengthen your risk profile to secure the best pricing possible.

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Book a School Risk Review

Your school's mission deserves protection beyond standard commercial coverage. The Insurance Market (TIM) pairs forensic-level risk analysis with decades of education leadership. Dr. Terry Sheridan — TIM's Education Practice Leader and former Head of School — leads a team that helps schools anticipate exposures, control premium costs, and build long-term financial stability.

Talk to Dr. Terry Sheridan

What Hidden Risks Cost Independent Schools the Most — And How TIM Solves Them

Limited Carrier Options

Schools face coverage, valuation, and underwriting risks that go unnoticed until renewal — or after a claim is denied. TIM's forensic, education-focused approach identifies these gaps before they become costly surprises.

How TIM Helps

TIM conducts in-depth pre-inspections, reviewing buildings, safety practices, and operations before submitting to carriers. Pre-inspections strengthen underwriting profiles and increase available carrier options.

High Premiums from Specialized Exposures

Specialized school risks — boarding programs, extracurricular activities, science labs, performing arts facilities, and community facility use — push premiums higher and strain operating budgets.

How TIM Helps

TIM completes safety audits and provides risk management documentation for areas such as performing arts facilities and community facility use, helping strengthen the risk profile with underwriters.

Complex Underwriting Documentation

School operations involve unique elements: staffing structures, tuition cycles, supervision ratios, multi-use facilities, and mid-year program changes. Documentation gaps and errors delay renewals or result in coverage restrictions.

How TIM Helps

TIM validates business interruption limits, financial resilience, and revenue structures using forensic accounting methods. Accurate documentation reduces underwriting errors and strengthens carrier submissions.

Evolving Operations Outgrow Policies

New buildings, new programs, enrolment changes, and governance restructuring expose schools to coverage gaps if policies aren't updated mid-term. Many schools discover gaps only at renewal — or after a loss.

How TIM Helps

TIM streamlines applications, prepares documentation, and aligns coverage with operational changes — reducing administrative burden while maintaining current coverage.

Reactive Claims Culture

Many schools discover coverage limitations only after a claim is filed — when it's too late to adjust. Reactive claims cultures delay reporting, weaken documentation, and complicate carrier relationships.

How TIM Helps

Dr. Terry Sheridan, TIM's Education Practice Leader, translates policy language into actionable governance decisions. TIM provides ongoing risk consulting and staff training to prevent losses — and to document incidents properly when they do occur.

TIM Helps Schools Set Accurate Coverage Limits 

TIM uses forensic accounting methods to calculate accurate business interruption limits based on your school's actual revenue patterns, tuition cycles, and recovery timelines. The result is coverage that reflects realistic restoration periods — not generic industry formulas.

Business interruption coverage is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — parts of a school's insurance program. Limits set too low leave schools exposed after major losses. Limits set without analysis may not reflect how your school actually generates and collects revenue. 

TIM uses school financial statements, revenue patterns, and forensic-level insight to estimate realistic recovery timelines after major events — and what coverage levels would be appropriate for your specific situation. 

The outcome is a more informed, data-based conversation at the board table rather than one based on guesswork. 

In practice, this means:

Translating profit and loss statements into coverage decisions — accounting for tuition timing and auxiliary revenue

Modelling realistic timelines to restore operations after fire, flood, or other major events

Right-sizing business interruption limits to your school's actual financial structure

TIM's School Insurance Program Includes

We assemble customized insurance bundles reflecting each school's size, programs, and governance structure — not one-size-fits-all commercial packages.

Instead of one-size-fits-all packages, TIM assembles coverage bundles reflecting each school's size, programs, and governance structure. A typical TIM school program includes:

  • Core coverage – property, equipment, commercial general liability, and business interruption with forensic-validated limits.
  • Governance & leadership coverage – Directors & Officers (D&O), employment practices liability, and educators' legal liability.
  • Student & community protection – occurrence-based abuse and harassment coverage, and crisis response support.
  • Digital resilience – cyber and privacy liability coverage, including breach notification and incident response support.

TIM then aligns coverage with your policies, procedures, and risk management practices — so insurance and day-to-day operations work together.

Connect Coverage to Strategy

TIM connects insurance programs to broader risk initiatives.

Governance training, abuse prevention protocols, cyber awareness for staff, and incident documentation procedures.

Insurance is one tool within a comprehensive risk framework.

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Which Schools Qualify for TIM's Insurance Program?

The Insurance Market partners with private and independent schools that prioritize safety, compliance, and responsible governance. TIM's insurance program serves schools committed to strengthening operational resilience through forensic risk methodology.

Participating schools should meet the following eligibility criteria:

Eligibility Criteria for TIM-Supported Schools 

  • Licensed private or independent schools in Canada, including day schools, boarding programs, and specialty institutions
  • Compliance with provincial education regulations and child-safety standards
  • Facilities meeting safety requirements as verified during TIM's pre-inspection process

Schools meeting these criteria qualify for TIM's tailored insurance structure, ongoing governance support, and preferred carrier access.

Coverage Bundles

Protecting your mission starts with choosing the right foundation. TIM’s coverage bundles give schools scalable protection — from basic property and liability coverage to specialized solutions for governance, cyber, and student safety. Every option is built to help you focus on education, not insurance administration.

Essential Protection

  • Property Insurance
  • General Liability
  • Abuse Liability
  • Business Interruption

Professional & Management

  • Errors & Omissions
  • Directors & Officers Liability
  • Employment Practices Liability

Comprehensive

  • Cyber Liability
  • School Purpose Vehicles
  • Special Event Coverage
  • Umbrella Liability

 

Eligibility Requirements

We partner with institutions that take safety, compliance, and stewardship seriously—ensuring each school can fully benefit from TIM’s forensic risk approach.  To keep our program exclusive to schools committed to risk management, we’ve outlined a few eligibility criteria below.

  • Licensed private or independent schools, including boarding and specialty programs
  • Compliance with provincial education and child-safety standards
  • Facilities meeting minimum safety requirements verified during pre-inspection
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The numbers speak for themselves

200+
Education Organizations Served Nationally
3
Leading Canadian Carriers Recognize TIM's Forensic Risk Standards
4
Of Canada's Largest Education & Child Services Organizations Trust TIM

Frequently asked questions

How do you secure better pricing?

TIM conducts pre-inspections and forensic audits before submitting to carriers. Complete risk documentation reduces perceived exposure and typically results in more competitive pricing and broader coverage options.

Are coverage limits customizable?

Yes. TIM right-sizes every policy to your school's assets, operations, governance model, and risk tolerance. Limits are validated using industry expertise.

Do you offer abuse liability coverage?

Yes. TIM arranges occurrence-based abuse liability coverage — never claims-made — plus prevention guidance and documentation support. Occurrence-based coverage protects schools even when allegations surface years after an incident.

How are premiums calculated?

Premiums are calculated based on building valuations, loss history, and documented risk management practices. Schools with strong documentation often qualify for preferred rates.

What additional support do you offer beyond Insurance?

TIM provides risk consulting, crisis management planning, staff training resources, and board-ready reporting for all clients. These services are included — not billed separately.

What types of schools does this program support?

TIM serves private and independent schools across Canada, including day schools, faith-based schools, Montessori programs, professional schools, specialty schools, and boarding institutions. If you're unsure whether your school qualifies, TIM can review your structure and programs.

Can TIM work with faith-based or specialty schools?

Yes. TIM works with faith-based schools, specialty schools, and alternative education models. TIM ensures governance, staffing, and facilities risks are correctly reflected in coverage — regardless of organizational structure.

Do you only provide insurance, or also risk consulting and training?

TIM arranges insurance coverage and provides risk management consulting, staff training, and documentation support. Policies, procedures, and insurance work together as one coherent risk program.

How does TIM help our board understand and manage risk?

TIM translates technical insurance language into clear, board-ready summaries. TIM can participate in board and finance committee meetings to explain financial and operational implications of risk scenarios.

Does TIM work with schools outside of Canada?

TIM's school insurance program serves Canadian private and independent schools. Schools with cross-border operations (international campuses, exchange programs) can contact TIM to discuss coverage options and determine fit.

What information do you need from us to begin a review?

TIM typically needs: current insurance policies, facility and program overview, recent financial and enrolment data, and information about upcoming changes. From there, TIM identifies additional details to complete your risk profile.

How fast is claims support?

Claims timing varies by complexity, but TIM's education focus and established carrier relationships help schools navigate claims faster with less friction. TIM advocates directly with adjusters on your behalf.

Essential Insurance Readiness Areas for Schools

Key Risk Areas Schools Should Review Annually

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Cyber Security Policy & Incident Response

Schools increasingly face ransomware, phishing, and data-privacy threats. Cyber liability carriers now require documented policies including MFA, tested backups, endpoint protection, vendor-access controls, and written breach response plans.

Check your Cyber Security Risk Level
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Tuition & Operations Continuity Coverage

Tuition and operating revenue often spans multiple school years, while boarding, fundraising, and auxiliary income add complexity. These factors make it easy to underestimate what’s truly at risk during a disruption.

Business Interruption coverage protects this continuity — but standard worksheets often fall short. TIM’s forensic accountants help calculate your tuition and operational exposure accurately, ensuring your coverage is defensible when it matters most.

Get Help Calculating Tuition & Revenue at Risk
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Building, Equipment Valuation & Property Appraisal

Outdated property valuations lead to coinsurance penalties and underinsurance. Independent schools should refresh appraisals every 3–5 years to reflect current construction and replacement costs. TIM arranges pre-inspection valuations.

Ask about TIM's appraisal pre-inspection
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Field Trips & International Travel

Schools should verify emergency medical coverage, evacuation provisions, trip interruption/cancellation coverage, travel exclusions, and parental consent documentation for both domestic and international travel programs.

Schools should also maintain documented trip policies, supervision requirements, and emergency communication procedures for both domestic and international travel. 

Book time with TIM's Education Practice Leader
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Abuse Incident Policy & Procedures 

Schools need written abuse-prevention protocols, staff/volunteer training cadence, reporting pathways, documentation processes, and alignment with provincial child-safety regulations. Incident response plans must match insurer requirements. 


Book time with TIM's Education Practice Leader

Download TIM's Free School Budget Tracker

TIM's budget template helps independent schools streamline financial planning, ensure accuracy, and maintain transparency. Schools can efficiently allocate resources, monitor expenditures, and support sound decision-making — while reducing administrative burden.

Get Your Free Budget Template
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Why School Abuse Liability Insurance Should Be Occurrence-Based — Not Claims-Made

Abuse liability insurance helps a school respond to allegations of abuse involving staff, volunteers, students or other adults in the school community. At The Insurance Market, we only arrange abuse liability on an occurrence form—never claims-made—because allegations can surface many years after an incident. 

With occurrence-based abuse coverage, your school remains protected for events that happened during the policy period, even if the claim is made decades later. By contrast, claims-made coverage can create hidden gaps when policies change or limits are reduced.  

Tip for school leaders: If your current broker placed abuse coverage on a claims-made basis, your school may have exposure. We can review your policy and help you move to an occurrence-based solution 
Ask us how to fix this today

Ready to Review Your School's Insurance Program?

If you lead or support a private or independent school in Canada, TIM can review your current coverage and discuss options. TIM's goal is straightforward: protect your school community with insurance and risk management that fits how your school actually operates.