TEACHERS are demanding action to punish the children who wreck their careers by making false allegations of abuse.

Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), are calling for pupils to face suspension or expulsion and have their school records permanently marked if they tell career-threatening lies.

Last year, Peter Hewson's 20-year teaching career was almost ruined when three pupils accused him of indecent assault.

Mr Hewson, of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, faced a year of turmoil while the case went to court, only for the jury to throw out the allegations after deliberating for 40 minutes.

He was later reinstated by the governors of his North-East school, which cannot be named for legal reasons.

Terry Bladen, national executive member of the National Association of School Masters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and a Darlington teacher said false accusations destroyed careers and were a huge worry.

"The Children's Act lays down a process so pupils can express concerns, but it's gone so far now with false allegations that it needs revisiting," he said.

"There needs to be a balance. In the worst case scenarios you get teachers who end up committing suicide and others who never go back to teach and have breakdowns.

"Then there are those who see every child as a potential accuser and it can have a dramatic effect on their family life. It is a real problem."

The NASUWT keeps a record of allegations made against teachers and out of 1,199 made since 1991, more than 95 per cent of them proved to be false.

Often the only comeback teachers have is to sue for defamation of character, but this can prove costly.

Delegates at the ATL annual conference voted for the right to an "appropriate redress" to false allegations, including a public statement that the teacher concerned was innocent.

ATL general secretary Peter Smith said pupils who lied about being physically or sexually abused should face the consequences.

''Of course, pupils must feel comfortable that they can whistle-blow, but if a pupil makes groundless and malicious accusations, disciplinary action must be applied to them and they should face possible expulsion," he said.

''We believe that any allegation accusing any member of the teaching profession of misconduct must remain on the school record of the pupil who made the accusation.'