Disabled teachers

The overwhelming majority of disabled teachers have faced discrimination and bullying in the workplace during their careers, according to a poll undertaken at the NASUWT teaching union’s disabled teachers’ consultation conference.

The survey of participants found that 87% said they had experienced bullying or harassment at some point in their career; and 70% said they had experienced discrimination on the basis of their disability in their teaching career.

However, when asked if their school was committed to supporting their needs as a disabled teacher, 44% disagreed. And four-fifths said they thought the government’s education policies were bad for disabled teachers and for pupils.

The union’s general secretary, Chris Keates, said the findings came as no surprise given the government’s ideological attacks on equalities and on workers’ rights.