MANY teachers in England have been sexually harassed by one of their pupils, a "deeply disturbing" examination of life in the classroom by teachers’ union NASUWT has found.

A recent survey of teaching staff found 81 per cent felt they had suffered workplace sexual harassment or bullying since entering the profession, while 30 per cent said they had been subjected to unwanted touching.

Of the 1,290 people surveyed, two thirds claimed to have received inappropriate comments about their appearance, more than half said they had received inappropriate sexual comments and 21 per cent said they had been sexually propositioned.

Some 3 per cent said they had been the victim of ‘upskirting’ - taking photographs or videos of a victim's groin from beneath their clothing - or had images taken down their top while at work.

Shockingly, 42 per cent of teaching staff said they did not report any incidents of harassment, with only one-third reporting every incident.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said the findings were cause for concern, but warned that schools' failure to act on reports of harassment was equally troubling.

Ms Keates said: "Schools should be places of safety, yet research undertaken by the NASUWT is showing us that too often teachers are being exposed to sexualised comments and abuse from colleagues, managers, parents and pupils.

"The NASUWT will have no hesitation in taking action in schools where sexual harassment and bullying occur and employers fail to operate a zero-tolerance approach.

"While the scale of the sexual harassment is deeply disturbing, equally disturbing is the scale of the failure to act on the incidents that were reported."

NASUWT's research shows that 8 per cent of teachers surveyed claim they were sexually harassed by a pupil.

One respondent said a sixth-form student wrote a sexually explicit story about a member of staff and handed it in to them.

A further 7 per cent said their abuse came from a colleague, 6 per cent said the harassment was by a manager, while 2 per cent said it came from a parent.

Another respondent said inappropriate, untrue and unsolicited comments from a male counterpart had such a dramatic impact on her family life that she and her husband eventually divorced.

Of teaching staff experiencing incidents of harassment, 43 per cent said they suffered a loss of confidence as a result, with 38 per cent experiencing anxiety or depression.

Almost half said they made changes to their daily routine to avoid the harasser, while nearly one third said they felt under pressure to change their appearance or style of clothing in an effort to put a stop to the trouble.

NASUWT's annual conference in Birmingham this weekend will vote on a motion on workplace bullying, addressing the "increased incidence of staff bullying staff and the horrific impact this continues to have on teachers’ mental and physical health and careers."