TWENTY-three teachers won compensation totalling £220,000 after they were attacked in schools in the past year.

One staffer was awarded almost £80,000 after their eyes were gouged.

Another was given £20,000 by Salford Council to settle a case after being pushed by a pupil.

Elsewhere a teacher got £2,437 for a finger injury after being attacked with a table-tennis bat.

Another was paid £244 for dental work when they were headbutted by a child.

There were 26,695 occasions where children were suspended for assaulting adults at school — up 55 per cent since 2014.

A survey of 108 councils showed total claims — including accidents — came to £1.6million.

Another £800,000 was spent on legal costs. The figure is likely to be a lot higher as not all authorities responded to Freedom of Information requests.

The eye-gouging happened in Wandsworth, South West London. Other incidents included a teacher getting £35,000 after falling into a hole dug for a tree in Redbridge, East London.

An employee in nearby Tower Hamlets got £11,000 when they were struck by a fence that blew over.

Christopher McGovern, chair of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “Small wonder we have a recruitment crisis.

“Only the most committed want to do a job that puts them in danger of physical assault.”