£50,000 for teacher attacked after telling girl to dispose of gum

A TEACHER who asked a female student to stop chewing gum was beaten so badly that she developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

The staff member, who worked at an academy in the North West, was subjected to the “prolonged assault” by a teenage girl who “flew into a rage”, a report has revealed.

She suffered blows to the stomach and bruises on her hand after she asked the girl to stop chewing gum before a lesson, and then prevented the teenage girl from entering her classroom. The teacher suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as well as depression.

A National Union of Teachers’ (NUT) report, which details members’ compensation claims, said that the school failed to report the incident to the police so the teacher made the report herself. She was awarded almost £50,000 in damages and the student was prosecuted and found guilty of assault.

Another teacher in the east of England was awarded almost £250,000 in compensation after falling while putting up a classroom display, the report said. She suffered a fracture in the fall, aggravated a pre-existing condition and suffered depression. The injuries prevented the teacher from working and her contract was terminated. A case was brought against the local authority

for failing to provide proper work equipment.

Other payouts included almost £85,000 for a teacher who slipped on black ice and £60,000 for another who fell on spilt food and liquid.

A teacher from the Midlands received £250,000 after being subjected to violence and poor pupil behaviour over four years.

The local authority failed to put an effective system to manage behaviour in place or carry out a formal risk assessment, according to the NUT, leading to the member’s “steadily worsening health and eventual breakdown”.