US Edition 
PE teacher paid £40,000 following an injury when demonstrating the long jump
Hundreds of teachers made claims worth more than £26 million last year
A PE teacher who won £41,000 after injuring himself while demonstrating the long jump and a teacher given £75,000 for tripping over a carpet were among thousands of claims worth more than £26 million last year.
Another teacher received £70,000 after slipping on a wet floor while another was given £5,000 for catching her foot on a coat and falling over.
Details of the compensation claims emerged as the two main union conferences - the NUT and NASWT - began today.
The long jump claim came from a 25-year-old man in the south east who hurt himself last year whilst showing the long jump to his class. He suffered soft issue injuries to his leg and dislocated his knee due to problems with the landing pit.
A 53-year old teacher was awarded £74,598.89 after she suffered a serious head injury three years ago when she tripped on a carpet. She fell against classroom shelving and as a result suffered memory loss.
Another female teacher was awarded £70,000 after she slipped on a wet floor with no warning signs. She was forced to retire early as a result of the injury. An onset of arthritis in the hip was also brought early by the fall.
A teacher from the Midlands fell after her foot got caught in a coat lying on the floor. She received £5,000 in compensation. A teacher in the South East region was paid £17,250 after she developed breathing problems and anxiety from damp and mouldy conditions at her school due to a leaking roof.
These are among thousands of claims filed by teachers in the UK over personal injuries, unfair dismissals and discrimination. The NASUWT said it had secured compensation of around £19.8 million for its members in 2014. This is down slightly from £20.7 million in 2013. Separate data from the NUT, said it had 170 new legal cases last year.
The largest compensation reported by the NASUWT was for £210,000 for a retired teacher who was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 following nearly a decade of exposure of asbestos in the classroom.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT said: "The tragedy is that in most cases compensation would be unnecessary if employers followed good employment practices and appropriate health and safety procedures.
"The distress and displeasure of the incident to the individual teacher and their family has often been compounded by years of legal action and court proceedings before any award is made."
Separately, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers(ATL), an influential union, said nearly £5.5 million was achieved for members in compromise agreements, over £150,000 for members who lodged employment tribunal claims and more than £1 million was retrieved for injured ATL members and their relatives.
Examples of the compensation paid
Where: Private residential EBD school
What happened: Female teacher assaulted by 14 year old when she was attempting to restrain him. The pupil was later convicted of assault. The teacher suffered a pro-lapsed disc in her neck, together with subsequent depression.
How much received: £136,710
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Where: PRU
What happened: Attacked by a pupil. The teacher was signed off with a psychological injury, never to return to teaching.
How much received: £61,561
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Where: South East Region
What happened: Teacher developed bacteria pneumonia, chronic disordered breathing and anxiety as a result of damp and mouldy conditions due to a leaking roof.
How much received: £17,250
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Where: Wales
What happened: The onset of arthritis in the hip was brought on early for a teacher, when she fell on a wet floor with no warning signs.
How much received: £70,000
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Where: London
What happened: A wall-mounted water heater fell on the chest of a teacher whilst they were making a cup of tea
How much received: £6,043
Personal injury cases 42
Criminal cases 77
Employment cases 51
Total new legal cases in 2014 170