NUT concern over new Education Department guidance on allegations against teachers

21 November 2005

Commenting on the new guidance on dealing with allegations by pupils against teachers published today, Monday 21 November, Steve Sinnott, NUT General Secretary, said:

“A lot of hard work has gone into producing this guidance in an attempt to ensure that allegations of abuse are dealt with fairly and quickly and to protect teachers from the damaging impact of false allegations. Its proposals are very welcome as far as they go.

“In particular the emphasis on avoiding delay and ensuring that suspended teachers are not left in isolation but are supported during the period of any investigation.

“However the opportunity for confusion and conflict between national and local guidance will continue. There will be a minimum of three different sets of guidelines that will have to be followed when an allegation is made. There is no certainty that there will not be conflict between them. This could lead to inconsistency in the treatment of teachers depending on which area of the country they work.

“Without the opportunity to ensure that records of malicious false allegations are removed entirely from their records, teachers will be vulnerable to such allegations blighting their careers.”