A SUCCESSFUL head teacher who was subjected to allegations of racism and Islamophobia and eventually forced to leave the job she loved because of stress was yesterday awarded more than £400,000 damages at the High Court.

Erica Connor, now 57, originally from Skenfrith near Abergavenny, won the compensation for the psychiatric injury she suffered while employed at the New Monument Primary School in Woking, Surrey, which has mainly Muslim pupils.

Miss Connor, who stopped working at the school in September 2005 because of stress, said after the ruling: "The last five years have been a long haul, at great personal cost to myself and my family, so I am thrilled that justice has prevailed.

"I finally feel vindicated in terms of the accusations of racism and Islamophobia against myself - accusations which attacked the core of my being and my values.

"I believe in equal opportunity. I believe every child has the right to achieve to their full potential in an environment that celebrates diversity and respects the beliefs and culture of each individual.

"This is a state, non-denominational school. For a protracted length of time I was subjected to dreadful pressures from a small group of individuals, unrepresentative of the local community, without the support I would have expected from Surrey County Council.”

A judge in London awarded her a total of £407,781 against Surrey County Council, which had contested the case, including sums for her pain and suffering and loss of income and pension.

Her case was that the authority failed to give her the support she needed in relation to the conduct of two members of the school's governing body, Muslims Paul Martin and Mr Mumtaz Saleem.

As a result Miss Connor, who was promoted to head in 1998, said she suffered from the stress which led to her early retirement on the grounds of ill health in December 2006.

Deputy Judge John Leighton Williams QC ruled that the former employers of Miss Connor had been in breach of their duty of care to her.

He said she was to be compensated for a severe depressive episode associated with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder which had prevented her pursuing her teaching career.

Governors 'tried to impose view'

THE judge said that until 2003 the school had done “very well” under Miss Connor's leadership and there were positive links with the local Muslim community.

He said from late 2003, the governing body became "dysfunctional” because of the conduct "in particular” of Mr Martin and Mr Saleem, who he said were not sued by Miss Connor.

He said: "I am satisfied that they sought to monopolise governing body meetings with a view to imposing their own agenda, and were prepared to do so regardless of the interests of the school and anyone who resisted that agenda.

"What was that agenda? It was at the very least to introduce an increasing role for the Muslim religion in New Monument School.”