A teacher who was assaulted by a student and suffered life-threatening injuries has been awarded £350,000 in damages.
The teacher, based in the east of England, suffered a brain injury, loss of sight in her left eye, loss of hearing in her left ear, bleeding kidneys, a damaged bladder, and psychological injuries, according to the UK National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) teaching union.
The NASUWT says this horrific case, which saw the teacher receive £350,000, made up part of the more than £15.1 million in settlements it secured for its members last year.
The payouts, which relate to cases in which education staff were awarded settlements for injuries, discrimination, workplace bullying, or contractual disputes, were made public ahead of the union’s annual conference in Glasgow this Easter.
Another teacher in the south east of England received £100,000 after a student kicked a football at her head as she walked to her classroom, according to the union.
She fell and lost consciousness, and the long-term effects of her injuries forced her to retire due to ill health.
The union also obtained £115,000 for a Yorkshire teacher who was fired after suffering work-related stress as a result of a restructure.
Patrick Roach, general secretary from the union, said to the Sun UK: ‘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.’