A quarter of secondary school teachers have been subject to an allegation made by a parent or student, survey findings show.
The survey, carried out by Teacher Tapp, also shows that male teachers are significantly more likely to have faced allegations made by pupils.
The figures, published today by legal support service Edapt, show 29 per cent of those surveyed said they had been subject to an allegation by a pupil, compared with 17 per cent of female teachers.
The responses also show that teachers new to the profession can face an allegation by a parent or pupil within their first five years, with 15 per cent reporting that they had already been the subject of one or more allegations in this timeframe.
There was a difference between state and independent sectors, with 16 per cent of independent sector teachers being subject to an allegation, compared with 21 per cent in the state sector.
Almost 10 per cent of teachers have been subject to a formal disciplinary process at some stage in their career, the data shows.
Today’s data does not set out whether teachers felt the claims were false, but there has long been concern in the profession about the impact of malicious allegations.
Some teachers and union leaders have warned that such allegations can “ruin teachers’ lives” and have called for stronger disciplinary action to be taken against the pupils concerned.
There are long delays for misconduct cases to be investigated by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), taking an average of 85 weeks according to the TRA’s latest annual report.
In the Teacher Tapp survey, more than a third of teachers worry they will be the subject of an allegation made by a pupil or parent in future.
Secondary teachers were more concerned about allegations made by students, while primary teachers were more concerned about allegations made by parents.
Alistair Wood, chief executive of Edapt, said: “These results show the serious risk teachers are facing on a daily basis and should act as a warning to the sector that we need to do more to support teachers across the profession and ensure they have appropriate support when such allegations occur.”
Mr Wood, who is a former teacher, added: “Teachers have a profoundly positive impact on society and children and young people’s lives. However, year in, year out, teachers are subject to a number of accusations and allegations from both students and parents, many of which turn out to be unfounded.
“Unfortunately, the possibility of allegations such as these are generally accepted as being an occupational hazard or just part of the job, and it is essential that education professionals are adequately protected and supported through such challenges.”
Mr Wood said that access to legal and employment support is the main reason that teachers will join a traditional trade union or an alternative like Edapt.
The Teacher Tapp data shows 74 per cent of teachers responding said that legal support in case of an allegation was the most important reason for them joining a teaching union or an alternative organisation. This figure rose to 79 per cent for headteachers.
Edapt provides legal support services for school staff across England and Wales. It was founded in 2011 by teachers as an alternative to traditional teaching union membership.
