News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Classroom-Main_article_image.jpg
Classroom
UK News

Christian group shocked by increase in false allegations against teachers

by Hannah Tooley

The report showed more than a third of school and college staff said a member of their current workplace had had a false allegation made against them by a pupil.

The Association of Christian Teachers said this number was unsurprising over an entire teaching career, however it added that it is shocked by the increase in frequency of reports.

It also reported that 94% of education staff, including teachers and support staff, think everyone working in education should have the right to anonymity as teachers currently do.

Some staff said the fear of false allegations meant they were considering stopping working in the profession. In the most recent cases 50% of the staff said the allegation against them was dismissed by the school or college. 10 ATL members said their most recent cases were referred to a local safeguarding children's board or service, and 14 claimed the police were notified of the allegation.

Several members said there had been an increase in the number of false allegations made by pupils because they did not like being told off by staff.

Clive Ireson from the Association of Christian Teachers spoke on Premier's News Hour. He said: "Children have got to be listened to, that's very, very important. We want children to be safe and if they make an allegation we want to make sure it's investigated. But we also have to protect our teachers in school as well.

"So the first role really should be for the head teacher to investigate it that day and have a turnaround within 24 hours to see whether there's anything in it or not, and people have got to have trust in the head teacher to do that and work with the parent and head teacher.

"Then if people want it to carry on then bring in the whole process of the local safeguarding board and all that. But once that process starts it can take ages but schools and school staff and pupils haven't got ages." 

 
Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

Connect

Donate

Donate