I Was Sexually Abused by A Teacher – Can I Claim Compensation?
By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 24th August 2022. On this page, you will find a guide containing advice and information about the legal process of making a personal injury claim for compensation if you were sexually abused by a teacher at school. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the Government and police, cases of sexual abuse at school, by a school teacher, still occur from time to time. This guide will help anyone who has suffered such abuse to learn about the claims process.
You may feel you are already at the stage where you want to start a claim and don’t need to read this guide. If so, call Legal Expert today on 0800 073 8804 and we can walk you through the legal process of instigating and pursuing a claim.
Select a Section:
- A Guide To Claiming Compensation When Sexually Abused By A Teacher
- What Is Child Abuse In Schools?
- Statistics For Incidences Of School Sexual Abuse
- How To Report Sexual Abuse By A Teacher
- What Is Vicarious Liability In Cases Of Abuse In Schools?
- What Happens If The Schools Was Aware Of The Sexual Abuse By A Teacher?
- How To Go About Making A School Sexual Abuse Compensation Claim
- Top Tips For Proving A Sexual Abuse At School Claim
- What Can You Claim For In Incidences Of Abuse In Schools
- Sexual Abuse By My Teacher – Compensation Examples
- No Win No Fee School Sexual Abuse Compensation Claims
- Why Use Legal Expert If You Were Sexually Abused By A Teacher?
- Speak To Our Claims Team Today
- Useful Links
A Guide To Claiming Compensation When Sexually Abused By A Teacher
Teacher sexual assault claims
If you were or are being sexually abused by a teacher at school, or you are the parent of a child who has been abused, this guide is for you. It covers everything about the process of making a compensation claim for sexual abuse by a teacher. As long as you are ready to make your claim with the of personal injury claims time limit three years, this guide will be of use to you. One thing you won’t find on this page is any type of online personal injury claims calculator. These are so inaccurate that they do more harm than good, giving claimants the false idea of how much they might claim. What you will find in this guide is:
- A definition of just what child abuse in schools is, this covers both sexual and physical abuse, although for the purpose of this article the sexual abuse is given more weight.
- Advice on how either a child or a parent should approach the task of reporting sexual abuse that has been perpetrated by a teacher.
- A description of the concept of vicarious liability and how it can be applied in cases of sexual abuse carried out by a teacher on a schoolchild.
- A look at the claims situation if the school that the sexual abuse took place in, was aware of what was happening yet did nothing to stop it.
- A step by step explanation of the process of beginning a compensation claim for damages for sexual assault by a teacher.
- A list of the most common types of general damages and special damages that a settlement for sexual abuse by a teacher might include.
- Detailed info on the No Win No Fee claims service that Legal Expert makes available to all residents of the UK, and also the main reasons why we feel that in sexual abuse cases, this is the best vehicle for making a claim.
Once you have completed reading this guide, you will very likely have quite a few unanswered questions. If you do, then please take a few minutes to pick up the telephone and call Legal Expert on the phone number that is located down at the end of this guide and we will do all we can to answer your questions.
What Is Child Abuse In Schools?
Child abuse can take many forms in schools. The abuse can be purely physical, and psychologically damaging; there can be many different signs of sexual abuse by a teacher. However, the most serious of all abuse that a teacher might carry out on a child in their care is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse contains both a physical and psychological aspect and can affect the gild long into the future, potentially permanently. Although any physical damage may heal, the psychological damage can change the life of a person entirely.
Any child who has been sexually abused by a teacher, and also their parents, will be able to engage a personal injury solicitor to make a compensation claim. This is something of a catch 22 situation as well, as the claims process if it requires the child to give testimony, can cause additional mental trauma.
Any parent that suspects their child has been the victim of sexual abuse carried out by a teacher, can talk to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) for initial counselling at the website below:
Legal Expert understands that this kind of sensitive claims case needs to be approached carefully, in order to reduce the trauma of making a claim as much as possible. Call us on the telephone number that is located near the bottom of this page to find out how we can help you and your child through this stressful time.
Statistics For Incidences Of School Sexual Abuse
Teacher sexual assault statistics
The graph above does a good job of showing how frequent abuse in schools takes place. One important takeaway here is that very frequently, a child who has been abused by a teacher at school, do not report the incident until they are quite a bit older. Children, especially young children, simply don’t understand what is going on and fail to report it to their parents. Therefore, most statistical studies into abuse in schools have questioned people over the age of 16.
Of all types of abuse in schools, sexual abuse occurs in a fairly low percentage of cases. Usually around 7% each year. Female students are 4 more times more likely to be sexually abused than male students.
Interestingly, the number of cases of school abuse reported goes up with age. As people get older, they tend to become better equipped to speak about their experiences. A more startling statistics is that around 42% of all people who have reported being abused at school, actually suffered more than 1 kind of abuse.
If you were sexually abused by a teacher at school, and now that you are older you believe you have a reason to claim compensation, then please contact Legal Expert by telephoning us on the phone number that you can locate towards the bottom of this guide.
How To Report Sexual Abuse By A Teacher
If you are a child who has suffered sexual abuse by a teacher, then the very thing you need to do is speak to your parents about it. If you do not feel you can speak to your parents, then you could call the NSPCC hotline.
As a parent of a child who has suffered child abuse in schools, the same hotline can be of help. However, you do have additional options such as:
- Using the NSPCC online form for reporting child abuse, which can be found at this link.
- Contacting the police to inform them about the child abuse.
- Get in touch with the headmaster of the school, to breach the subject of one of their teachers abusing a child.
Whichever way you choose to report the sexual abuse to a child, you should also talk to Legal Expert by calling us in the telephone number down at the bottom of this guide, so that we can advise you legally on what you should be doing.
What Is Vicarious Liability In Cases Of Abuse In Schools?
Part of the process of making school sexual abuse compensation claims is considering the concept of vicarious liability regarding actions carried out by an employee of a school.
Vicarious liability sounds like a complicated legal term. In reality, it is quite easy to understand. Any school organisation that employs a person who sexually abuses a child, is deemed to be responsible for the employee’s actions whilst they are still employed. Therefore, when it comes to claiming damages, vicarious liability is a vehicle for pursuing the employer, rather than the employee for damages.
Legal Expert is well experienced in making compensation claims based on the concept of vicarious liability and we can assist you in yours. All you need to do is reach out to us using the telephone number located towards the end of this guide, and we will walk you through the claims process.
What Happens If The Schools Was Aware Of The Sexual Abuse By A Teacher?
If a school either knew about the sexual abuse happening or realistically should have noticed it was occurring, then the school could be seen to have been negligent in their duty of care towards the victim.
Some sexual abuse claims are bought against schools for this reason. While children are attending schools, the schools are ultimately responsible for the safety of the children under its care. As was explained in the previous section about vicarious liability, if a school fail in this duty, then it is the school and not the teacher who carried out the abuse that will be the defendant during a claim.
Legal Expert can be of help to you in pursuing damages from a school that either knew about your child being sexually abused or should have known about it. You can get in touch with us using the telephone number that you will find towards the bottom of this guide.
How To Go About Making A School Sexual Abuse Compensation Claim
The process of beginning a claim for sexual abuse victims compensation payments is straightforward. All you need to do is contact Legal Expert using the telephone number that is given towards the end of this guide. However, before you do this, you need to make sure that the case of sexual abuse to a child by a teacher, has been reported to the correct authorities, in most cases this will mean the police. Once you have done this, and contact Legal Expert, we are going to start by asking you some questions, so we can get a better idea of your case, such as:
- How old is your child that was sexually abused by a teacher?
- When and at what school did the sexual abuse take place?
- Did your child suffer any physical injuries as a result of the sexual abuse?
- Has your child developed any psychological problems due to the sexual assault?
- Has the school and the teacher admitted that the sexual abuse took place?
- Has your child had to take an extended time off school and miss a vital part of their education because of the sexual abuse?
- Is your child a fit state to give testimony about the event?
Questions such as these help us to learn about your sexual abuse case so that we can evaluate what we believe your next legal move to be. Once we know this, we will let you know what you should do next.
Top Tips For Proving A Sexual Abuse At School Claim
Sexual abuse by a teacher or another member of school staff is grounds to make a claim. However, you must provide evidence that the abuse took place. Making a successful sexual abuse claim against a teacher or other staff member can depend on the level of evidence you have.
Some examples can include:
A report you made to the school – If a child or parent reports an incident of sexual abuse to the school, the school has an obligation to make a record of the report. They also must investigate it.
Police reports – A report can also be made to the police. A crime reference number will be assigned to the case.
CCTV footage – Cameras on school grounds may have captured footage that relates to the abuse. This can be used as evidence to support a claim.
Speak to our advisors today if you need more information.
What Can You Claim For In Incidences Of Abuse In Schools
In some very rare cases, where the school is not available as a legal entity to claim compensation against, for example, it has closed down, then the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is available to claim against. However, CICA compensation amounts are generally identical to normal claim amounts.
Every settlement for a case of sexual abuse by a teacher will comprise of a number of different types of damages, which will fit into one of the two main categories of general damages and special damages, thus:
- General damages – all of the physical effects of the sexual abuse:
- Pain and suffering of the actual abuse.
- Mental trauma caused by the actual abuse.
- Long-term psychological conditions that developed because of the abuse.
- Permanent effects of the abuse, such as physical scarring.
- Special damages – all of the non-physical effects of the sexual abuse:
- Medical costs if you have had to pay for treatment of your child, either physical treatment or psychotherapy.
- Travel costs if you have had to travel whilst caring for your child or making the compensation claim.
- Loss of earnings if you have had to take time away from work to get your child the treatment they need, or to deal with making a claim.
To get a much better idea of the types of damages a settlement for a claim for sexual abuse to a child committed by a teacher, you can contact Legal Expert using the telephone number towards the bottom of this guide.
Sexual Abuse By My Teacher – Compensation Examples
If your child has been mistreated by a teacher or sexual abuse has occurred, then compensation may be claimed. On some occasions, a claim may be made against the school. If so, then you would be making a personal injury claim. If this is the case, legal professionals will calculate an appropriate amount relating to your child’s level of pain and suffering – this is known as general damages. They will use resources such as a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
The JCG received its latest update in 2022. This newest edition is where the figures from the table below have been taken from. However, they should only be used to give you a rough idea as to the value of a teacher sex abuse claim. Your own specific claim will need to be properly assessed before an accurate figure can be given.
| Injury | Severity | Notes | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental damage | Severe | Extremely long-lasting mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and phobias caused by a sexual or physical assault. | £54,830 to £115,730 |
| Mental damage | Moderate – severe | Long-lasting mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and phobias caused by a sexual or physical assault. | £19,070 to £54,830 |
| Mental damage | Moderate | Fairly long-lasting mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and phobias caused by a sexual or physical assault. | £5,860 to £19,070 |
| Mental damage | Less severe | Short lasting mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and phobias caused by a sexual or physical assault. | £1,540 to £5,860 |
| PTSD | Severe | Extremely long lasting post-traumatic stress disorder that will cause a very major drop in the quality of life of the victim. | £59,860 to £100,670 |
| PTSD | Moderate – severe | Fairly long lasting post-traumatic stress disorder that will cause a very major drop in the quality of life of the victim. | £23,150 to £59,860 |
| PTSD | Moderate | Long lasting post-traumatic stress disorder that will cause a very major drop in the quality of life of the victim. | £8,180 to £23,150 |
| PTSD | Less severe | Short lasting post-traumatic stress disorder that will cause a very major drop in the quality of life of the victim. | £3,950 to £8,180 |
| Mental trauma | Moderate | All cases of trauma that a transient in nature, caused by a sexual or physical assault. | £,4,670 |
If the school does not have the funds to compensate you, you may still be able to claim through the CICA, as sexual abuse is a criminal injury. They have their own tariff where injuries are assigned a set fee. There is a maximum of 3 injuries you can claim for through this scheme, and only the most valuable is awarded at its full rate. After this, the 2nd and 3rd more valuable are reduced to 30% and 15% of their respective rates.
Here are a few examples:
| Awarded For | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual assault | When penile penetration results in severe mental illness | £27,000 |
| Sexual assault | When the result is internal bodily injuries of a serious nature | £22,000 |
| Sexual assault | When the outcome of non-consensual penile penetration includes moderate mental illness | £22,000 |
| Sexual assault | When two or more attackers penetrate the victim’s mouth, anus, or vagina with their penis, without consent | £13,500 |
| Sexual assault | When the penis of a single attacker penetrates the victim’s vagina, mouth, or anus without consent | £11,000 |
| Sexual assault | Over 3 years of repetitive severe abuse of a non-penetrative nature | £8,200 |
| Sexual assault | When one attacker (or more) commit frequent severe abuse on an individual for a period of up to 3 years | £6,600 |
| Sexual assault | When there is a penetrative act, but not with a penis | £3,300 |
| Sexual assault | When the assailant carries out a physical sexual act under the clothing of the victim, but there is no penetration | £2,000 |
| Sexual assault | A physical sexual act over clothing that is not penetrative | £1,000 |
If you wish to make a claim against a teacher or teachers for sexual abuse, get in touch today. Our advisors could potentially connect you with a specialised solicitor to help you claim.
No Win No Fee School Sexual Abuse Compensation Claims
Here at Legal Expert, we have come up with a core product offering that is designed to help victims of sexual abuse carried out by a teacher, to claim compensation in a financially risk-free way.
This is a No Win No Fee type of claims service, which we believe is the most straightforward and effective way to make such a claim. The only time we will ever ask you to pay your legal costs, is when you have actually been awarded a damages settlement, and not before.
Starting a claim is free, and even if your claim takes several months or more to complete, there will be no ongoing legal costs to pay. If, in the unlikely event that we fail to make a successful claim on your behalf, then you walk away without paying any legal costs.
Why Use Legal Expert If You Were Sexually Abused By A Teacher?
Legal Expert operates a national team of personal injury lawyer, who has a proven track record of winning considerable compensation settlements across a wide range of complex claims cases, we can do the same for you.
We always put the needs of our customers before our own bottom line. Our fees are driven by your claim settlement. Therefore, it is in our best interest to aim to get you the maximum level of compensation, without ever doing a single thing that could put your claim at risk.
Every time we take action on your behalf, we will keep you updated fully on what we are doing. If you have any questions about your claim, we are more than happy to answer them, using plain, easy to understand English and not complicated, confusing legal speak.
To find out how you can join the ranks of our happy clients, call us on the telephone number that you will find below.
Speak To Our Claims Team Today
Making personal injury claims for a child that has been the victim of sexual assault carried out by a teacher is a sensitive thing to approach. Legal Expert knows that we need to deal with such cases with kid gloves. Call us on 0800 073 8804 today so that we can help you begin making your claim, without causing any more trauma to your child than is absolutely necessary to make the claim.
Useful Links
Below you will be able to follow a link that will send you to a full guide to the process of making a claim for compensation for child abuse:
Below you will be able to follow a link that will send you to the UK Government website of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA):
Below you will be able to follow a link that will send you to a UK Government web page that gives an overview of how to report child abuse:
UK Government web page for reporting child abuse
You may also be interested in some of our other guides on criminal injury compensation claims:
- How to claim sexual abuse compensation
- FAQs on sexual abuse claims
- Sexual abuse during lockdown – can you claim?
- Sexual abuse compensation calculator
- How to find physical and sexual abuse solicitors
- A guide to sexual abuse claims
- How to claim against a paedophile
- How to claim if abused in foster care
- Historical sexual abuse claims
- Sexual abuse claims in Scotland
We also have some other guides on sexual abuse compensation claims that you may find useful:
- I was sexually abused by my father, can I claim?
- Sexual abuse by husband – can you claim?
- Sexual abuse by a grandfather – how to make a claim
- Sexual abuse by an ex-partner – how to make a claim
- How to claim if sexually abused by a family member
- How to claim if abused by a stepfather
- Sexual abuse claims against social services
- How to claim for sexual abuse in a school
We hope this guide, which has addressed popular questions such as ‘can I claim for sexual abuse by my teacher?’, has been helpful for you. If you wish to speak to an advisor about sexual abuse by teacher claims, then you can choose to get in touch with Legal Expert using the contact information included within this guide.
