IPPN

Published: 14 October 2011

Nearly half of allegations made against teachers are malicious, unsubstantiated or unfounded, research suggests.

Almost a fifth of teachers who faced accusations in 2009/10 were suspended while claims were investigated, with many waiting weeks for a conclusion.

The survey, commissioned by the Department for Education, examined the number and nature of allegations of abuse referred to 116 English councils between April 1 2009 and March 31 2010. The findings show that of 12,086 allegations referred, 2,827 (23%) were against school teachers.

This is "substantially higher" than in a similar survey conducted in 2007, the research found, although the figures are not directly comparable.