“More needs to be done to protect teachers’ safety"

Jim Quigley of the teachers’ union NASUWT, and a specialist health and safety solicitor, have called for more to be done to protect teachers from violent and aggressive pupils. The calls come after a teacher attacked by a pupil at school was awarded £275,000 in compensation.

Colin Adams was attached by a 12-year-old pupil who had a history of violent outbursts, which the school had not informed Mr Adams of.

Adams, 51, who taught ICT at Kingswood Community School for eight years, has taken ill health retirement following the incident which left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During the incident the pupil jumped on his back and then attempted to strangle him while he lay unconscious on the ground. Colin was on his way to seek help from another senior teacher to discipline the student after he was causing problems in a colleague’s class.

Only a week earlier the same student had attacked a security guard at the library across the road from the school. Despite the headteacher knowing about the incident, the pupil’s violent past was never made known to teachers. Following the incident the pupil was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to Actual Bodily Harm.

Jim Quigley from the NASUWT commented:

“Every day some teachers are at risk because pupils who have a history of violence and aggression are not properly risk-assessed and preventative measures are not in place. More needs to be done to ensure teachers are well equipped to deal with the regrettable reality of pupil violence.”

Jane McCool from Thompsons Solicitors, who advised Mr Adams, added, “Violence in schools is unacceptable and where a school knows a pupil is aggressive measures must be in place to ensure teachers are kept safe.”