Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
A headteacher was left requiring a wheelchair after a pupil with Special Educational Needs (SEN) struck her with a chair while at school. Michelle Stone, aged 50, was working at a special needs school when the student hit her from behind with a wheeled desk chair, causing severe back and chest injuries.
The former headteacher says she suffers from chronic pain and psychological trauma, and was compelled to leave the profession she loved. She sustained spinal injuries, broken ribs, and a fractured collarbone following the incident involving the student, who was reportedly known for violent behaviour, reports the Mirror.
Mrs Stone, who resides in Bournemouth, Dorset, believes some parents need to accept greater responsibility. She said: “The parents that actually hear the message are already working really hard.
“But you get parents at the other end of the spectrum that put all the responsibility on schools. Some parents don’t step up to the partnership with schools and they need to step up and be partners.
“This particular child I was attacked by, I had a good relationship with. We used to climb a tree and sit in a tree together and have a chat. We had a lovely relationship but they were obviously in a huge red miss this particular day.”
SEN describes children or young people who have learning challenges or disabilities that make it tougher for them to learn compared to their friends of the same age. These students need special help, like extra support or different teaching methods that are tailored to their needs.
Mrs Stone had served as headteacher at the school for seven years, a role she says she cherished. She said: “I do feel quite sad sometimes that I am not back in schools and not doing what I always wanted to do.
“My daughter said to me ‘mama you had you dream job and you had it snatched away’. That’s exactly how I feel. I was doing a job I wanted to. I was working with children with significant issues and very happy to do that and now I can’t.”
The assault occurred in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, in May 2019, during an episode involving a student known for extreme and violent behaviour. In the months leading up to this, the same student had reportedly already seriously injured two other staff members, and managing their behaviour often necessitated four or five adults simultaneously.
Mrs Stone claims she consistently voiced urgent concerns to senior leadership from late 2018 onwards, cautioning that the school was ill-equipped to safely cater to the student’s complex needs – and that both staff and students were being put at risk. Despite these warnings, Mrs Stone alleges no additional support was provided, and no changes were implemented.
During the incident in May 2019, Mrs Stone intervened to shield her colleagues. She was struck forcefully with a chair, sustaining injuries so severe that she had to prematurely end her teaching career.
She now lives with chronic pain, occasionally needing a wheelchair, has undergone several medical procedures and continues to suffer from ongoing psychological trauma, including anxiety, disrupted sleep and an inability to return to work in an educational environment. Her recovery is still underway, and she remains in treatment to manage the long-term effects of the attack.
She explained: “There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t been in pain. I have had numerous surgeries. People ask ‘when will you be recovered?’ Unfortunately it is not recovery, it is degenerative. The surgeries and the medical intervention are to slow down the degeneration rather than help me to recover.”
She continued: “I loved my job and worked hard to support my students and staff. But I was placed in an impossible situation – one that was preventable. I want to make sure no one else goes through this.”
After the incident, Mrs Stone instructed workplace assault specialist Joanne Soccard of Thompsons Solicitors, through her membership with the school leaders’ union NAHT. Her legal team contended that the school failed to address known risks, disregarded repeated internal warnings and failed to respond adequately to previous violent incidents.
Whilst the school denied liability, it agreed a six-figure settlement shortly before trial, acknowledging the devastating impact on Mrs Stone’s health, wellbeing and career. The settlement also provides funding for ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Mrs Stone stated: “This was a specialist school where every pupil had a range of additional needs, and it’s important to make clear that staff were highly trained and experienced in managing challenging – and often dangerous – situations, but the behaviour of this particular pupil went beyond what we were equipped to manage safely and that’s why I raised my concerns.
“I was worried not only for my staff, but for the safety of the said pupil and the other children in the school. I felt that the most appropriate solution would have been to transfer the pupil to another more specialised facility, which was also run by the same company, but my concerns was ignored.”
Joanne Soccard, an Associate Solicitor specialising in workplace assaults at Thompsons, based in the firm’s Oxford office, commented: “This is a deeply troubling case. Our client followed every procedure, raised concerns, and asked for help – but the support simply wasn’t there.
“Schools must act on known risks and take responsibility before serious harm occurs, not after. Where safeguarding measures are insufficient, it can have serious implications for the staff, and for the pupils themselves.”
She added: “There are teachers all over the country working in increasingly complex environments without the protection they deserve. If schools are serious about staff wellbeing, they must learn from this – and act.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Education told the BBC: “Violence affecting teachers is completely unacceptable and schools should never be left to deal with it alone. That’s why we are taking action through 93 Attendance and Behaviour Hubs to share their expertise and tackle the root causes before problems escalate.”
Read more on Gloucestershire Live
