Teacher awarded 拢850,000 compensation after pupil attack, union reveals
The NASUWT says it has聽helped聽its members get nearly 拢15m in compensation over issues that also include bullying, health and safety, and performance management.
Thursday 14 April 2022 12:51, UK
A teacher seriously assaulted by a pupil was awarded 拢850,000 compensation, a union has revealed.
He was punched in the face and kicked by a pupil during a science lesson in London and doctors say he's unlikely to ever return to teaching.
The man suffered a head injury, bruising, back and ankle injuries, tinnitus and hearing loss, PTSD and severe depression, said the NASUWT union.
The pupil was not meant to be in the lesson at the time of the January 2017 attack because of previous violent and disruptive behaviour.
NASUWT revealed details of compensation awarded to its members ahead of its annual conference in Birmingham over the Easter weekend.
'Teachers are driven out of the profession unfairly'
A drama teacher from Wales also got nearly £80,000 after being sacked when she developed life-threatening asthma following the redecoration of her class.
The room developed problems such as mould on the walls and a crack in the floor.
The woman suffered coughing, wheezing and headaches as term went on, with paramedics called to the school several times.
She was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions and diagnosed with late-onset asthma, which a consultant believed was due to conditions at the school.
The teacher was dismissed in 2019 after what the union says were several unavoidable absences.
It later secured her the payout for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.
Read more: Nearly half of teachers plan to quit by 2027 due to workload, survey finds
The NASUWT said it has helped its members get nearly £15m in compensation over issues that also include bullying, health and safety, and performance management.
Its general secretary, Dr Patrick Roach, said such cases were probably only "the tip of the iceberg" and that other teachers are driven out of the profession unfairly.
"The money awarded cannot compensate for the emotional, physical and mental distress members have experienced and the fact that for some, their experiences have left them unable to continue working in teaching," said Dr Roach.