Teacher awarded £350,000 after assault by student left her with ‘life-changing’ injuries
The NASUWT teaching union secured more than £15.1m for its members during 2022
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teacher who suffered life-changing injuries was awarded £350,000 in compensation after a pupil assaulted her in the classroom, union figures show.
The teacher in the East of England was left with a brain injury, loss of sight in her left eye and hearing in her left ear, bleeding kidneys, a damaged bladder and psychological injuries as a result of the incident.
The six-figure payout was among cases in which education staff were awarded settlements over issues such injuries, discrimination and bullying in the workplace, as well as contractual disputes.
The NASUWT teaching union secured more than £15.1m in compensation for its members during 2022, according to figures released ahead of the union’s annual conference in Glasgow over Easter.
In one case, a teacher from the South East was awarded £100,000 after a pupil kicked a football at her head with force while she was walking to her classroom.
She fell and lost consciousness during the incident and the impact of the injuries continued to affect her ability to work, leading her to take ill-health retirement as a result.
A personal injury claim was submitted and the settlement was negotiated following court proceedings.
The NASUWT also secured £115,000 for a teacher from the Yorkshire and Humberside region who was dismissed after experiencing work-related stress following a restructure.
She was required to undertake a job which consisted of three merged roles, involved significant additional management responsibilities and required expertise outside her existing skill set.
The level of compensation we have secured for teachers who have suffered physical and mental harm, discrimination and abuse at work is an indictment of an education system that is failing in its duty of care to the profession
The teacher was absent from work due to the pressures of the role and the impact of the resulting excessive workload. She was placed on a sickness monitoring process which led to her being dismissed.
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “The level of compensation we have secured for teachers who have suffered physical and mental harm, discrimination and abuse at work is an indictment of an education system that is failing in its duty of care to the profession.
“No amount of compensation can make up for the often devastating impact of physical and mental injury at work.
“Teachers have a right to be treated with dignity and to be safe when they go to work. The NASUWT will never hesitate in pursuing legal remedies where employers fail in their duty of care to their staff.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.