New figures have revealed that UK teachers were awarded millions of pounds in accident compensation claims last year.
Figures provided to the Times Educational Supplement showed that Association of Teachers members won £5 million in compensation, whilst members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) were awarded £10.5 million.
The highest accident compensation award was almost £293,000 in a case which was settled out of court. The incident involved a NASUWT member who injured their back in a workplace fall in which they tripped over a pothole in the car park. The individual had to undergo surgery and has been unable to return to work following the accident.
Another accident compensation case involved a teacher who was awarded £200,000 after slipping on a grape left on a stairwell. The accident aggravated an existing hernia condition and the individual was unable to return to work. It was alleged that the school had failed to act on its litter problem.
Chris Keates, NASUWT's general secretary, commented, "Behind each of these cases is a person whose life has been changed through serious injury or unfair dismissal from their chosen career. Compensation is important but it is cold comfort if your health is irreparably damaged or your professional career has ended."