£70,000 payout after safety police sack teacher for pruning a tree

By The Newsroom

Published 24th Jan 2013, 09:18 BST

A TEACHER who was sacked from her job after she pruned a tree without performing a risk assessment has been paid £70,000 for unfair dismissal – the highest payout possible.

Tracey Smith was suspended from her job on full pay by her employers at a school for children with behavioural problems as she faced a string of allegations.

It was alleged she imposed an “inappropriate sanction” for a student’s misbehaviour, had not got on with colleagues, and pruned a tree against health and safety rules at Aldine House school in Dore, Sheffield.