A newly qualified teacher is suing a local authority for thousands after claiming she experienced racism at a Lanarkshire school.

Tawia Abbam alleges she suffered "racially experienced trauma" after being targeted by staff at Cathkin High School in Cambuslang.

South Lanarkshire Council has launched an investigation ahead of an employment tribunal scheduled for later this year.

Ms Abbam is seeking damages totaling £13,664 for 'injury to feelings' after alleging she experienced direct and indirect discrimination on the grounds of her race, stated in tribunal documents as 'Black racial group'.

It has emerged she asked to be moved from Cathkin High School last year after lodging a dignity at work complaint and grievance with her employers.

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She was transferred to Strathaven Academy in October to continue her probationary training, which is due to end in June.

No details of the alleged incidents have been disclosed but the local authority is said to be interviewing several people who are involved in the complaint.

The council's own inquiry is looking at how senior management dealt with the concerns raised by the claimant allegations against staff in Cathkin High School. 

The school's campus police officer carried out a separate investigation but no further action is said to have been taken by the police.

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Ms Abbam is being represented by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers ( NASUWT) in the forthcoming tribunal after attempts to resolve her complaint with the school failed.

South Lanarkshire Council has been granted an extension to respond to the allegations after failing to submit its response to the tribunal judge in time.

The local authority was told that if this was not received by February 21 February 2023, and no extension of time had been agreed before that date, then they would not be entitled to defend the claim.

The employment judge is also entitled to issue a judgment against them, without a hearing.

The council's representative said the tribunal papers had been missed because "a blatantly inexperienced member of staff dealt with it" in the mail room.

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The employment judge ruled that it was "in the interests of justice" to grant the council more time to respond to the allegations but was critical of the "inordinate" amount of time it had taken the council to respond to the teacher's complaint.  

A preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on August 22 ahead of the formal hearing in the Autumn.

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: "We are grateful to the Employment Judge for an extension of time to allow us to respond fully in this case.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

Plans were approved last year to realign the catchment of Newton Farm and Hallside primary schools, and to alter secondary schools that pupils in the re-zoned area would attend from Uddingston Grammar School to Cathkin High School.

A public consultation found 39.5 per cent were in favour of the plans, 50.7 per cent not in favour of the proposal and 9.8 per cent were undecided.