I repeatedly warned the head teacher that the school environment was too stressful because of the increasingly violent atmosphere

Teacher

The payment - believed to be a record in such a case - was won by the National Union of Teachers on behalf of the 45-year-old teacher from Shropshire, who is being identified only as "Mr A" for fear of adding to his illness.

The compensation was agreed in an out-of-court settlement with the insurers of the governors of the teacher's school and the local education authority, Shropshire County Council.

The union says the case should serve as a warning to other employers to take seriously their duty to ensure that teachers' working environments are free from unnecessary stress.

The teacher has counselling weekly and has been on medication for three years.

"He feels fearful and haunted and is constantly looking over his shoulder," the union says.

New headteacher

He has not slept properly for two years and cannot cope with strangers - rarely leaving his home.

He specialised in working with disturbed children. But problems began shortly after a new head teacher was appointed to his school in 1995.

The new head refused to listen to advice from experienced members of staff and had a "divide and rule" policy, dropping team meetings and - Mr A says - losing the respect of staff and pupils.

A new disciplinary policy she imposed was, he believed, inconsistent and incoherent - suspending pupils for wearing baseball hats or eating sweets, which left no sanction for more serious offences.

"I found the way the school was managed day to day, the lack of a structure to maintain discipline and enable good teaching practice, very stressful," Mr A said.

"I repeatedly warned the head teacher that the school environment was too stressful because of the increasingly violent atmosphere, an atmosphere which had got out of control because of the head teacher's management style."

In tears

He and other members of staff complained to an education authority officer.

"I said I was at breaking point. I was in such a terrible state that I began to cry."

But he says nothing was done.

Discipline at the school worsened. In 1996 Mr A was pushed down some stairs by a pupil. Though not physically hurt, the continuing mental strain resulted in him having delusions.

His family called a doctor who diagnosed a complete nervous breakdown. The teacher has been unable to work since.

The head teacher has now left the school.

Mr A's story is an extreme example of the sort of problems teachers complained of at recent union annual conferences.

The NUT's general secretary, Doug McAvoy, said it was "an appalling case".

"For too many teachers round the country this lack of care is an increasing part of their lives," he said.