Teachers awarded £4m for accidents at school

Teachers were awarded almost £4million in compensation last year for accidents that took place at school – including one who was hit on the back of the head by a football.

A survey of town halls across England found that one council had paid out to a teacher injured putting away the lunch tables, another hurt when a fan fell on their head and a third who suffered poor health because of bad ventilation in the cookery classroom.

The study also found that, for every £1 in compensation paid to teachers, another £1 went into the pockets of lawyers, meaning the total cost to councils was almost £8million.