Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30897127

It's all very well asking schools to 'use their judgement' but it's a big ask when the repercussions for getting it could be very serious. Surely they're bound to take the safe option, suspend staff and put the ball in Ofsted's court.

It reminds me of all the guff surrounding money laundering which, according to the regulators, shouldn't impinge on our daily banking needs but nevertheless increasingly involves providing a passport to do just about anything more than withdrawing a few quid. If you're going to impose severe penalties on companies/organisations for not complying with the rules, the rules need to be clear and don't be surprised if those companies etc. add on their own additional requirements just to be on the safe side.

Looks like another fine mess to me. Unintended (but predictable) consequences and all that...

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

As long as the schools can show they showed sound judgement and due diligence.

If you have a blanket ban on people who's partners or spouses may have a conviction you are unfairly punishing that person. Lot's of things come into play. What was the conviction for? when was it? etc etc.

You can't expect the government to wipe everybody's arses all the time.

If the school does take the safe option as you put it, I would argue as to the suitability/capability of the headmaster/mistress to the hold the position and the paypacket they do.

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Link goes to a 404 page for me :/

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Here's the link. The original link appears to have gained an extra 7 at the end of the address. Maybe a passing mod could correct the first post and then delete this one. :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30897127

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Link fixed all by meself... ;)

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Too true.

it will be inevitable that the judgement made will later be seen as the wrong call.

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

What the hell has the crimes of someone else got to do with anything - this is ridiculous, you really could not make this stupidity up.

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Utterly,totally pathetic..:rolleyes:

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

I often, usually after drinking wine I admit, see all the elements of govt. policy and regulation as a great big jigsaw puzzle slowly forming taking shape. Then, sooner of later, when the last seemingly innocuous piece of well intentioned legislation falls into place, the whole country grinds to a halt...

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

How would they even know about the criminal convictions of the partner? Do they check the backgrounds there? Seems awfully invasive to demand checks of everyone that a prospective staff member lives with.

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Every time I see something like this come up, I get this nagging feeling that about 25 years ago I must have fallen through a wormhole and I'm now in an Alternative Reality Earth, or WTF Earth.

Some of the stuff you couldn't make up as a bad joke - but it's all real!

Scotty Beam me up! I want to go back to MY Earth.

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Ian Huntley & Maxine Carr(teaching assistant)

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

I don't think either of them had previous convictions did they?

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

He has many close calls. If he had been convicted earlier and this rule had been in place.....

Re: Teaching staff suspended after child protection change
 

Yes well if...

As it stands this law would have done nothing to stop Huntley. Surely we have to use some common sense here. In the clamour to protect kids, maybe we're in danger of going too far and throwing the baby out with the bathwater.