A teacher who became ill from a rat infestation and another who was injured after a pupil threw a toaster and chair are among UK school staff who received a share of £15m paid out in compensation.
The details were revealed by the NASUWT union ahead of its annual conference in Birmingham later this week, and relate to successful claims for unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, personal injury and health and safety.
The teacher who contracted leptospirosis from an infestation of rats at their school was awarded a six-figure out of court settlement after the infection caused headaches, fatigue, dizziness and physical and mental weakness.
The teacher who was hit by a toaster and chair – and was subsequently punched and kicked as they tried to remove the pupil from the class – received a six-figure payment in damages after suffering injuries requiring surgery and psychiatric support.
The NASUWT also fought a successful claim for disability discrimination after a teacher, left disabled after a whiteboard fell on them, was denied access to a suitable toilet and moved to a new role on a reduced salary. The claim was settled after a five-figure sum was negotiated.
The union said it had secured compensation totalling almost £15.5m for members across the UK last year. Matt Wrack, the general secretary, said: “If all employers took seriously their duty of care and legal responsibilities to their employees we would not be forced to pursue legal remedies to get redress for members.
“Behind every successfully concluded case is a teacher who has suffered months, and in some cases years, of mental distress and anxiety. Some members are no longer able to return to teaching due to the physical injuries or the psychological impact of the treatment they have experienced.”
At the National Education Union (NEU) conference in Brighton, meanwhile, members voted for a motion calling for a national campaign to reduce violence in schools after delegates described violent incidents they had encountered.
Charlotte Lawrence from Portsmouth, who proposed the motion, said she spent more time managing the dangerous behaviour of a small number of pupils in her class than focusing on delivery high-quality education to the rest of the class.
“Staff are being grabbed, kicked, punched, spat at, cornered in classrooms, subjected to threats and left managing corridors that feel more like crowd control than education, and pupils are suffering too,” she said.
“Children are being assaulted by peers, witnessing frightening incidents and trying to learn in environments where emotional dysregulation becomes the norm because there aren’t enough staff or resources to intervene early or safely.”
Laura Ann Watford, also from Portsmouth, told the conference that one of her teacher friends was beaten to the ground by a student and kicked 14 times. Susan Kent from the NEU’s Hampshire branch said one of her members was left with bruises and bites after being attacked by a pupil.
Many delegates made the point that pupils were not to blame, adding that the rise in poor behaviour is often due to pupils’ needs not being met, mental health challenges and unrecognised trauma.
Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said: “Surveys of our teacher and support staff members have highlighted that disruptive student behaviour is something that is worrying them and which interrupts teaching and learning.
“Schools are running on empty and don’t have enough staffing and pastoral support. Access to Send and mental health specialists is a real challenge and this makes it harder for schools to intervene early.”
