A former headteacher has spoken out after being left with chronic pain, psychological trauma and forced out of the profession she loved following a violent assault by a pupil — despite repeatedly warning that staff were at risk. 

Michelle Stone, 50, from Bournemouth, was headteacher at a special needs school in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, when she was struck from behind with a wheeled desk chair, causing serious injuries to her back and chest. 

The attack took place in May 2019 during an incident involving a pupil with a known history of extreme and violent behaviour. In the months beforehand, the same pupil had already seriously injured two other members of staff, and managing their behaviour often required four or five adults at once. 

Mrs Stone says she repeatedly raised urgent concerns with senior leadership from late 2018 onwards, warning that the school was not equipped to meet the pupil’s complex needs safely — and that both staff and pupils were being placed in danger. 
Despite these warnings, no additional support was provided and no changes were made. 

During the May 2019 incident, Mrs Stone stepped in to protect her colleagues. She was hit forcefully with the chair, suffering injuries so severe that she was forced to end her teaching career prematurely. 

She now lives with chronic pain, sometimes requiring a wheelchair, has undergone multiple medical procedures and continues to experience ongoing psychological trauma, including anxiety, disrupted sleep and an inability to return to work in an education setting. 

Her recovery is ongoing and she remains in treatment to manage the long-term effects of the assault. 

“I loved my job and worked hard to support my students and staff,” Mrs Stone said. “But I was placed in an impossible situation - one that was preventable. I want to make sure no one else goes through this.” 

Following the assault, Mrs Stone instructed workplace assault specialist Joanne Soccard of Thompsons Solicitors, through her membership with school leaders’ union NAHT. Her legal team argued that the school failed to act on known risks, ignored repeated internal warnings and failed to respond appropriately to previous violent incidents. 

Although the school denied liability, it agreed a six-figure settlement shortly before trial, reflecting the devastating impact on Mrs Stone’s health, wellbeing and career. The settlement also provides funding for ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. 

Joanne Soccard, an Associate Solicitor specialising in workplace assaults at Thompsons, based in the firm’s Oxford office, said: “This is a deeply troubling case. Our client followed every procedure, raised concerns, and asked for help - but the support simply wasn’t there. Schools must act on known risks and take responsibility before serious harm occurs, not after.   

“Where safeguarding measures are insufficient, it can have serious implications for the staff, and for the pupils themselves.” 

Mrs Stone said: “This was a specialist school where every pupil had a range of additional needs, and it’s important to make clear that staff were highly trained and experienced in managing challenging - and often dangerous – situations, but the behaviour of this particular pupil went beyond what we were equipped to manage safely and that’s why I raised my concerns.  

“I was worried not only for my staff, but for the safety of the said pupil and the other children in the school.  I felt that the most appropriate solution would have been to transfer the pupil to another more specialised facility, which was also run by the same company, but my concerns was ignored.” 

Joanne Soccard from Thompsons added: “There are teachers all over the country working in increasingly complex environments without the protection they deserve. If schools are serious about staff wellbeing, they must learn from this - and act.” 

For press enquiries please contact Thompsons via pressoffice@thompsons.law; or for NAHT via pressoffice@naht.org.uk