More than a quarter of school staff (28 per cent) have had a false allegation made against them by a pupil, according to a new survey. Skip related content
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Many teachers face false accusations
One in six have had a false claim made against them by a member of a pupil's family, according to the study by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
One half of school staff said they or a colleague had had a false allegation made against them in their current school or college by a pupil or a member of a pupil's family.
These were the key findings of a survey of 1,155 ATL members working as support staff, teachers, department heads and school leaders in state and private schools around the UK.
In half the cases the allegation was immediately dismissed by the school, and the police were notified in only 16 per cent of instances.
ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: "School staff are having their careers blighted by false allegations and their private lives damaged as a result of the stress.
We are losing good teachers, heads and support staff to the detriment of children's education."
Tributes have been paid to a schoolgirl who died after slipping in her high heels and falling under a train while waving goodbye to her friends.
