Teachers receive 'record payouts'

By Alison Smith
BBC News education reporter

The NASUWT says teachers are getting record payouts

Teachers from one of the largest unions were awarded a total of over £7.6m in compensation last year in personal injury claims and employment tribunals.

The NASUWT union said the total amount awarded was a record high and £850,000 more than in 2004, with a sharp rise in personal injury awards in particular.

And it fears the "compensation culture" will put an end to school trips.

But the Department for Education and Skills said the number of public liability claims was actually falling.

'Hit by brick'

The NASUWT annual report, where the figures are published, also details some of the most severe cases of violence perpetrated by pupils on teachers.

One teacher from Preston was awarded £129,600 after she was hit on the head by a brick thrown by a pupil at a neighbouring school, and a teacher from Manchester who was assaulted by a 12-year-old pupil was awarded £27,500.

Over £1.8m was awarded to members in personal injury claims last year, the NASUWT said.

The head of art, craft, design and technology at a school in Nottinghamshire was awarded £145,600 after developing chronic rhino sinusitis (inflammation of the lining of the nose) as a result of exposure to wood dust.

And a teacher in Manchester received £71,000 after breaking her leg when she fell from the entrance to the temporary hut she was using as a classroom.

We have done a huge amount to improve discipline in schools DfES spokesman

One of the largest pay-outs was to a teacher in Wales who received £250,000 after suffering a back injury after lifting equipment from her employer's car.

Jim Quigley, the union's legal officer, said teachers had become increasingly aware that the union could help them win compensation where appropriate, but that schools were "very hazardous places to work", and that poor discipline, sometimes resulting in violence, was "increasing dramatically".

"There are lots of cases where teachers are assaulted and they will not report it - they will be dissuaded from reporting it by the school because it doesn't look good," he said.

But he stopped short of saying that the rise in personal injury payouts was a direct result of increasing pupil violence.

'Respect'

The NASUWT's incoming president, Brian Garvey, said respect had decreased in schools and the government needed to "protect teachers send a clearer message that the abuse of teachers will not be tolerated".

Parents and pupils needed to take responsibility for their actions, he said.

He welcomed the prime minister's focus on improving discipline in schools through parenting orders and parenting classes, but said the variety of provision for excluded pupils needed to be speeded up.

The union submitted 61 applications to employment tribunals last year, including applications for unlawful deduction of wages, unfair dismissal, breach of contract, sex, race, disability or religious discrimination.

The number of applications for legal aid to claim compensation for stress-related illnesses has also significantly increased, the union's annual report says.

A DfES spokesman said: "The number of public liability claims is actually falling. Obviously the health and safety of staff and pupils is paramount and thankfully the cases NASUWT highlight, while of course being highly upsetting for those involved, are very rare.

"We have done a huge amount to improve discipline in schools and our education bill will ensure there is no doubt that heads have a right to discipline and in extreme cases restrain a pupil to prevent injury."