Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 9 November 2011.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Reforms to public sector pensions are essential – the status quo is not an option. The cost to the taxpayer of teacher pensions is already forecast to double from £5 billion in 2006 to £10 billion in 2016 and will carry on rising rapidly as life expectancy continues to improve.

We’ve always been clear that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will remain one of the best available but we need to ensure the balance between taxpayer and the public sector employee is fair.

The government has been listening carefully to teachers and heads. We’ve put forward an improved offer which guarantees existing pension rights; gives teachers a defined, index-linked pension; and protects those closest to retirement from changes – in particular, heads and the longest serving senior staff.

We are continuing to hold serious discussions about the reforms with the teaching profession. It is right that the unions look very carefully at what is on the table before taking industrial action.

Strikes benefit no one – they damage pupils’ education; disrupt and inconvenience parents’ lives; and risk the professional reputation of teachers in the eyes of the public.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 8 November 2011.

The Government publishes implementation plan for teacher training strategy to train the next generation of outstanding teachers.

Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a £2m-a-year partnership between the Department for Education and the Institute of Physics (IOP) to attract the best graduates to become physics teachers. It re-affirms the Government’s commitment to recruit the very best graduates into teaching and train them even better, so that standards can rise in schools across the country.

Around 100 scholarships worth £20,000 each will be available every year for graduates with a 2:1 or first class degree who are intending to do a mainstream physics, or physics with maths, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course.

The IOP will work with experts in teaching practice to award scholarships. They will hand-pick candidates demonstrating exceptional subject knowledge, enthusiasm for the study of physics, and outstanding potential to teach. The IOP’s relationship with the scholars will continue into their teaching careers. This will develop a group of outstanding physics teachers, all part of a community of physicists across schools, universities and industry.

IOP research shows that around 1,000 new specialist physics teachers in England are needed every year for the next 15 years to plug the gap so that the subject is taught by specialist teachers. Last year around 275 fewer trainees were recruited to physics initial teacher training courses than were needed.

The scholarship comes as part of the Government’s implementation plan for its ITT Strategy, Training our next generation of outstanding teachers. The implementation plan is published today.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

If we want to have an education system that ranks with the best in the world, we must attract outstanding people into the profession, and we must give them outstanding training.

The scholarship scheme launched with the Institute of Physics will help make sure we have excellent physics teachers in this country with deep subject knowledge. They will help raise the status of the teaching profession and also make a huge difference in the lives of children.

Professor Peter Main, Director of Education and Science at the Institute of Physics, said:

These scholarships will help the Institute realise its aims of welcoming a greater number of physics teachers into the broader community of physicists and of increasing the spread of subject expertise in education. They will help us to develop excellent teachers from excellent graduates. We are saying to people with a love of physics and a good academic record – ‘choose teaching: it is a job that will reward you and exploit your abilities to the full’.

Renowned physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili said:

Being a research physicist and a well-known physics broadcaster and author is all well and good but the really valuable work needed to inspire future generations of physicists is done by physics teachers in the classroom.

Every day teachers are communicating the beauty of the subject and the satisfaction that an understanding of physics can give you. So becoming a teacher is both a great opportunity for people to share their passion for the subject and means playing a vital role in giving the whole population a good grounding in the subject. And, as with any communication role, it is a fascinating and enjoyable way to spend your time.

The IOP will begin recruitment for the scholarships from today.

Ministers aim to expand the model physics scholarships to other specialist subjects from 2013/14 onwards. It is hoped other organisations will come forward who are interested in attracting and selecting trainees for the award of outstanding teacher training scholarships.

New teacher training strategy

The Government’s Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Strategy Implementation Plan, published today, re-affirms the Government’s commitment to recruiting the very best into teaching and a greater role for schools in training.

The proposals cover:

• Encouraging more primary specialist teachers to be trained

From 2012/13, the Government will prioritise the allocation of places to courses with a specialism, rather than to generalist primary courses. This will encourage ITT providers to offer specialist courses. We will also offer schools the opportunity to train their own primary specialist teachers and then employ them as specialist teachers. For 2013/14 we expect to introduce additional financial incentives for trainees who undertake a maths, sciences or languages specialism as part of their primary ITT course, and who have a good A-level in maths, a science or a language.

• Offering graduates with first-class degrees in physics, chemistry, maths and modern foreign languages significantly better financial incentives to train as teachers

Trainees will receive a bursary of up to £20,000 in their training year – more than double the current maximum of £9,000.

• Requiring all trainees to have high standards of mathematics and English by requiring trainees to pass a tougher literacy and numeracy tests before they start training

Candidates who fail either of the skills tests will be limited to two re-sits for each test. Currently they only take the tests after starting their training course and they are allowed unlimited re-sits. New figures show that one in five trainees fail either of the basic tests first time round. The pass mark will also rise from September 2012. And a review of the tests will be carried out and new tests introduced in September 2013.

• Allowing and encouraging schools to lead their own high-quality initial teacher training

Around 100 outstanding schools have already been selected to be ‘Teaching Schools’. These schools will lead the way on increasing school involvement in the training and professional development of teachers and headteachers. Outstanding schools will also be able to become accredited providers and be given priority over teacher training places.

• Giving schools a stronger influence over the content of ITT training as well as the recruitment and selection of trainees

Teachers consistently identify two specific weaknesses in the initial training they have received: being able confidently to teach reading effectively, including using systematic synthetic phonics, and how to manage pupil behaviour.

• Continuing to ensure that ITT provision focuses on the quality of placements and selection

Ofsted is currently consulting on improving the inspections for ITT providers.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 4 November 2011.

The Children’s Minister Sarah Teather today announced contracts involving voluntary and community organisations which will deliver the support, including the Council for Disabled Children and I CAN, the children’s communication charity.

The Department for Education is providing funding of around £6 million a year for two years to deliver the support.

The organisations will support the delivery of short breaks, provide greater information and help to parents, and help disabled young people and those with SEN prepare for employment, training and independent living after they leave school.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

We’re proposing some of the biggest reforms to special educational needs and to help disabled children and we’re testing out the best ways of doing this over the next year. But it’s important that children, young people and their families get help and support now, from organisations they trust.

That’s why we’re funding and extending programmes that have been successful so far and that parents have told us they value – like short breaks and helping young people make the often difficult transition from school to employment or training.

The successful contractors will provide knowledge and support on the delivery and improvement of local services and help the 20 SEN Green Paper pathfinder areas test some of the Government’s key reforms.

The organisations and contracts are:

• The IMPACT consortium (SERCO in partnership with the Short Breaks Network): to help local authorities deliver their legal obligations to provide short breaks and involve parents in how short breaks are provided.
• The Council for Disabled Children: to support local parent partnership services across England that provide parents with clear information about their rights and responsibilities under SEN legislation, along with local information about options and choices to meet their child’s SEN.
• A consortium led by the National Development Team for Inclusion: to improve outcomes for young people with SEN and disabilities. The consortium will work with local authorities, schools, young people and their femployment, training and independent living after they leave school.
• The ES Trust with the National Children’s Bureau: to extend the successful Early Support programme to improve the quality, consistency and coordination of services for disabled children over five years old (the programme is currently designed from birth to five years old) and help develop key worker training.
• The Early Language Consortium, led by I CAN, the children’s communication charity: to introduce Early Language Development Training for people working with children up to five years old. The training amilies to raise aspirations in secondary school and plan for will focus on the importance of early language development to improve communication and language skills for all children, particularly those with SEN.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 4 November 2011.

Michael Gove writing in ‘The Sun’: “Every child deserves a loving home. Yet for too many this fundamental right is just a dream.”

Every child deserves a loving home. Yet for too many this fundamental right is just a dream.

That is why I am backing ‘The Sun’s’ National Adoption Week campaign, in association with The British Association for Adoption and Fostering.

I urge you to look at the photographs and read the stories of the children featured on these pages. They represent just a few of the thousands of children desperate to be adopted.

Last year only 3,050 children found new homes by adoption, while the number in the care system rose to 65,000.

On average it takes more than two and a half years between a child entering care and being adopted. We have to do better.

That’s why we are tackling the politically correct attitudes and ridiculous bureaucracy that keep too many children waiting far too long.

We’ve scrapped the edicts which say children have to be adopted by families from the same ethnic background.

And we’ve slimmed down the guidance to help speed up the adoption process.

We also need to make sure the system works for all children, regardless of where they live.

In some areas, more than 20% of children in care are adopted. In others, it’s less than 5%.

One council managed to place every single child within 12 months of their adoption decision. Another, just 43%.

Adoption may not be the right choice for every child but this level of variation is inexcusable.

So this week the Prime Minister and I have published new performance tables to shine a light on those who aren’t doing as well as they should.

And we won’t stand by where children are being let down. Where councils persistently fail in their basic responsibilities, we will ask an agency or a council with a proven track record to take over their care services.

Judges must play their part too. Delays in the family courts are paralysing the adoption process.

Looked-after children – the vulnerable and the voiceless – desperately need our support. Their plight should matter to every one of us. There is a special reason why this issue matters so much to me. I was adopted. I was given a second chance.

Without it, my future may well have been blighted, my opportunities limited and my chance to make a difference gone.

To me, my parents are heroes. I will never forget, and can never adequately repay, their selfless generosity. But what I can do is reflect on how different my life might have been.

And that is what drives me to do all that I can for those children who need heroes of their own.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 3 November 2011.

• Common sense approach to replace unnecessary regulation
• Guidance for schools reduced to a quarter

Schools across England are to be freed from confusing and unnecessary regulations on school buildings.

Ministers are consulting on simplifying and reducing the regulations around school buildings, as part of the independent Capital Review recommendations, which proposed how to build and maintain school buildings better and more cost effectively. The new proposals provide strong safeguards, especially for vulnerable pupils, but free up schools to take a more common sense approach.

The current regulations for maintained and independent schools contain some over-prescriptive and burdensome rules. This includes:

• Complicated lighting requirements – “light fittings must not produce a glare index of more than 19”. Schools would find it impossible to know whether they meet them without getting in technical experts. However, safeguards will remain in place for children with special educational needs to ensure schools get specialist advice when required.
• Specific requirements on the numbers of toilets and wash basins per pupils. For example, washrooms in secondary schools with three or more toilets or urinals must have two thirds the number of sinks. Under the proposed changes schools will still have to provide well planned and designed facilities but will be freed from unnecessary over-prescription.
• Schools having to provide a space to dry pupils’ coats. Schools will instead take a common sense approach making sure there are suitable facilities.
• Boarding schools have to have at least 0.9m between beds in dormitories and provide at least 2.3m² of living space per pupil. This over-prescription will be removed, but schools will still have to follow the relevant fire regulations and provide suitable facilities.

Under the new proposals, the same regulations will apply to all schools. The relevant supporting guidance will also be simplified, going from 32 pages to just eight pages of clear and concise advice.

A further 5,000 pages of other guidance on school buildings will be reduced next year, by around 75 per cent. It includes technical guidance that would be irrelevant for schools and out-of-date advice.

Schools Minister Lord Hill said:

Over the years, schools have been overloaded with unclear and sometimes contradictory rules on school buildings.

Making sure we have suitable and safe school buildings is paramount. That is why are proposing to streamline the regulations, remove unnecessary duplication and free up schools to take a common sense approach. One set of clear regulations for maintained and independent schools makes it simpler for everyone.

We are already building new schools quicker and with better value for money than ever before. These changes will help speed this up further, by simplifying the process.

The consultation sets out a number of areas where the Government plans to remove regulations because they are irrelevant or duplicated in other pieces of legislation. For example, specific regulations about heating or ventilation are covered in the Workplace Regulations and the Building Regulations.

The premises regulations consultation, including the proposed revised guidance, can be found on our consultations website. It closes on 26 January 2012.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 2 November 2011.

More pupils will be able to attend the best schools in a new-look admissions system that will be fairer and simpler for all parents, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said today.

• All 800,000 primary school places to be offered on a single day
• Adopted children to be given special priority

Revised school admissions and appeals codes were published today following a 12-week consultation on proposals to overhaul the current system. The existing codes were too complex, confusing and unfair for parents. They undermined parental choice and rationed places at good schools. The consultation received more than 1,300 responses, 700 from parents who broadly welcomed the changes being made to the codes.
Today’s codes, published alongside the Department for Education’s response to the consultation, include two new proposals:

• Streamlining the primary school place offer system by introducing a new “national offer day”. Currently different admissions authorities release primary school offers on different dates. This can confuse and frustrate parents, especially those making applications for school places in different local authorities. There is already a secondary school national offer day, on March 1 each year. The primary school day is set to be on April 16 each year, starting in 2014. A three-week consultation on the codes’ regulations, including this date, starts shortly.
• Giving adopted children who were previously looked after (and children who leave care under a special guardianship or residence order) the same, highest priority for places as they had as looked-after children. This would benefit around 5,000 children each year. As well as providing ongoing support to children who had been in care, it could help speed up the adoption process. There is anecdotal evidence that some adoptive parents delay applying for the adoption order so they can take advantage of the priority given to children in care.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

A new National Offer Day for primary schools – as recommended by the Chief Schools Adjudicator – will introduce clarity and consistency in the system for hundreds of thousands of parents. Receiving offers on different days is confusing and stressful, especially for parents making cross-border applications to schools in neighbouring local authorities.

Children in care should continue to be given special priority in school admissions after they have been adopted, or leave care under a special guardianship or residence order. Many of these children have had traumatic experiences in their early lives. They don’t stop being vulnerable just because they are now in a loving home. This will also speed up some adoptions – we know that some adoption orders are delayed until a child has started school because priority currently ends when that child leaves care.

The revised codes contain half as many of the 650 existing mandatory requirements placed on admissions authorities and are significantly slimmer, at 61 pages long compared with the current 138 pages. Almost half of respondents to the consultation said the codes met the aims of greater transparency and simplification.

The revised codes also confirm most of the plans set out in the consultation. They:

• Give greater freedom to good, successful schools so they can increase the number of places they offer to children in their area. More than half of all respondents to the consultation agreed with this proposal.
• Allow schools to give some priority to children of those staff who have been employed for at least two years or who have been recruited to meet a school’s particular skills shortage. A majority of parents responding to the consultation agreed with the principle of giving priority to school staff.
• Allow schools to take twins and other multiple-birth children, and children of armed forces personnel, into infant classes even if it takes the class over the 30-child legal limit. This was supported by 83 per cent of respondents.
• Allow academies and Free Schools to prioritise pupils from the poorest backgrounds. Respondents supportive of this proposal said it would give more opportunities to children from low-income families.
• Introduce a new in-year admissions process so fewer children face delays in finding a new school. Parents will apply direct to schools, rather than having to go through a local authority. More than half of respondents agreed with this proposal. In-year applications happen when a child moves to a new area.
• Ban councils from using area-wide “lotteries” as the principal method of allocating places across a local authority area. Some 57 per cent of all respondents supported this change.
• Cut bureaucracy by requiring admission authorities to consult on arrangements only every seven years, rather than every three years, if no changes are proposed. This was supported by more than half of all respondents.
• Allow anyone to object to admissions arrangements. Currently only a very restricted list of people can do so. Almost three-quarters of respondents agreed with this proposal.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

The new Admissions Codes are slimmer, less repetitive and easier to read and use. For these reasons alone they should help to reduce the stress confronting parents as they navigate the schools admissions system and find a place for their child.

But the new codes also remove the restriction on good schools being able to expand if they wish – a freedom that will provide more good school places.

And the new Codes help schools to attract and retain the best teachers and school support staff by allowing them to ensure their own children have a place at their school.

All these measures and the priority we are giving to children who are adopted from the care system are all designed to help raise the standard in our schools and close the attainment gap between those from poorer and wealthier backgrounds.

Unnecessary prescription has also been stripped out of the draft Appeals Code to reduce costs and bureaucracy for local authorities and schools. But maintaining minimum requirements will ensure fairness and transparency.

• Parents will have at least 20 days to lodge an appeal against primary or secondary school decisions. The current 10-day limit means parents must appeal quickly but many then drop the appeal because they later get an offer at another of their preferred schools. In the last school year for which figures are available (2008/09), more than a quarter of all appeals lodged (24,550 out of 88,270) were not taken forward, wasting time and money.
• Guidance against hearing appeals on school premises will be overturned. At the moment admission authorities sometimes have to make costly, taxpayer-funded bookings of hotels or conference rooms.
• Admission authorities will no longer be required to advertise for lay appeal members every three years, but must ensure that panel members are independent and that they retain their independence for the duration of their service.

The revised codes may still be amended before they are laid before Parliament on December 1 for final approval. Subject to that, the Department intends to bring them into force on February 1, 2012. Admissions for the September 2013 intake will be the first to be operated under the new codes.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 27 October 2011.

An end to schools boosting their performance table position

Only high quality, rigorous vocational qualifications will count in performance tables, and they will be included on a one-for-one basis with academic qualifications, under new guidance announced today by the Department for Education.

The new guidance, following a 10 week consultation, lists the characteristics vocational qualifications need to be included in the headline measures of the school performance tables.

This will stop schools picking subjects in order to boost performance table positions, rather than choosing the right qualifications for their pupils.

Currently all qualifications count in performance tables whether or not they include external assessment. Some qualifications are worth as much as six GCSEs.

From 2014 only valued vocational qualifications that meet strict new criteria will be recognised in the tables. GCSEs, established iGCSEs and AS Levels will continue to be included. All these qualifications will count equally on a one-for-one basis.

Qualifications will only count if:

• they offer pupils proven progression into a broad range of further qualifications or careers post-16, rather than narrowing students’ options
• they are the size of a GCSE or bigger
• they have a substantial proportion of external assessment and require students to use knowledge across their subject
• they have grades such as A*-G (those with simple pass or fail results will be excluded).

Any qualification that has been taught for at least two years will also be expected to have good levels of take-up among 14-16 year olds.

Nick Gibb, Schools Minister, said today:

We want to be sure that the vocational qualifications taken by 14-16 year olds genuinely lead on to further education and are valued by employers. No pupil should be preparing for a vocational qualification simply to boost the school’s “GCSE or equivalent” score in the performance tables.

These reforms introduce a systematic and fair set of rules that will determine which of the many thousands of qualifications taught in schools can be included in performance tables for 2014 onwards.

They will lead to a boost in the quality of vocational qualifications being taken and will enhance the opportunities for young people to progress.

The changes follow Professor Alison Wolf’s report on vocational qualifications. Her report demonstrated that the current performance table system creates perverse incentives. Schools have been tempted to teach qualifications which attract the most points in the performance tables – not the qualifications that will support young people to progress:

• The number of so called “equivalent” qualifications taken in schools up to age 16 has exploded in recent years – from 15,000 in 2004 to 575,000 in 2010.
• In 2009-10, 125,367 students achieved Level 1 (grades D to G) in so-called equivalent qualifications, up from 11,007 in 2003-04.
• In 2009-10, 462,182 students achieved Level 2 (grades A* to C) in so-called equivalent qualifications, including BTECs, up from 1882 in 2003-04.

Schools will still be free to offer any qualification approved for 14- to 16-year-olds. Teachers will still be able to use their professional judgment to offer the qualifications which they believe are right for their pupils. But only those meeting the Department’s rigorous characteristics will count in performance tables.

In early 2012, the Department will publish the full list of qualifications that will count in performance tables in 2014.

Awarding bodies are still able to refine their existing qualifications offer before then. For existing qualifications too new to prove progression or take-up there will be opportunities for awarding bodies to gather evidence for review. Awarding bodies whose qualifications fail the assessment and/or grading characteristics only, meeting the other characteristics, will have up to a year to redevelop them. There will be a two-year period where no brand new qualifications will be considered for inclusion in the performance tables.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 October 2011.

A Department spokesman said:

The Government had to take tough decisions to reduce the deficit, but the schools’ budget is actually increasing by £3.6 billion in cash over the next four years. This protects per pupil funding levels and includes the new Pupil Premium, which provides an extra £488 for every child on Free School Meals and which will rise over the next three years.

On top of this, we’ve increased the free entitlement to 15 hours per week for all three and four-year-olds from last September – and are now extending it all disadvantaged two-year-olds. The two year freeze on teachers’ pay also means schools are benefitting from a lower level of inflation.

The new capital budget is higher than the average annual capital budget between 1997-98 to 2004-05. But the Government was absolutely right to look at the amount of money spent on school buildings. An independent review showed that tax-payers money was being wasted on red-tape and consultants, not on building schools. Our new plans will build schools cheaper and quicker than before.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 20 October 2011.

Only a fifth of pupils took the core academic GCSEs this year.

Figures out today reveal that academies’ GCSE results have improved by more than twice the level of other maintained schools.

The provisional GCSE results for 2011 show that:

• in academies the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs including English and maths rose from 40.6% to 45.9%, an increase of 5.3 percentage points
• in all maintained schools the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs including English and maths rose from 55.2% to 57.8%, an increase of 2.6 percentage points.

The statistic for academies is based on the 166 sponsored academies with results in both 2010 and 2011. Their performance is particularly impressive as these academies replaced historically underperforming schools in deprived areas.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

The government believes that teachers and head teachers know best how to run schools. Academy status gives professionals the freedom they need to do their job and today’s figures show that that autonomy works. Academies continue to outperform the national average, completely transforming previously underperforming schools serving some of the most deprived communities.

The government is turning around more underperforming schools than ever before. In May 2010 there were a total of 203 sponsored academies. Since then the coalition has opened 116 more sponsored academies. More sponsored academies will open this academic year than in the history of the academies programme. The government has also allowed good schools to take on academy freedoms. 1,031 schools have chosen to do so.

The results also show that just a fifth of pupils studied the core academic subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Only one in six pupils managed to secure good grades in a combination of English, maths, a language, history or geography, and two sciences.

The provisional GCSE results for 2011 show that:

• only 22.7% of all pupils were entered for a combination of subjects that could lead to the EBacc – last year it was 22.0% just 16.5% of all pupils achieved the EBacc – last year it was 15.6%

Ministers have been clear that all pupils, regardless of their background, should be given the opportunity to study the core academic subjects.

Research recently published by the Department for Education showed the huge positive impact the EBacc is having on future GCSE choices. Since its introduction, 47 per cent of pupils taking GCSEs in 2013 are now studying a combination of EBacc subjects.

The researched showed that, compared to entries in 2010, there is an increase in the percentage of pupils taking GCSEs in the EBacc subjects in 2013 by:

• 26% in history
• 28% in geography
• 22% in languages
• 82% in triple science.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

It is a scandal that four-fifths of our 16-year-olds did not take the core academic GCSEs that universities and employers demand – when far more are capable of doing so.

Parents across the country rightly expect that their child will receive a broad and balanced education that includes English, maths, science, a language and history or geography. Sadly, all too often it is the pupils from the poorest backgrounds who are denied this opportunity. Last year, only 4% of children from poorer backgrounds achieved the English Baccalaureate GCSEs, compared to 17% of their peers.

The coalition government is reversing this shameful decline. Since the introduction of the EBacc, more young people are choosing to study the academic subjects which give them the knowledge and skills they need to progress to further study or to rewarding employment.

The EBacc is not compulsory but it is about closing the attainment gap between rich and poor and about increasing opportunity.

The provisional GCSE and A level results for 2011 also show that:

• the overall number of five GCSE (or iGCSE or equivalent) passes at A* to C including English and mathematics for all pupils has increased this year by 4.8 percentage points to 58.3% – in state-funded schools there was a 2.6 percentage point rise to 57.8%
• 71.0% of pupils made the expected level of progress in English between key stage 2 and key stage 4, with 64.2% of pupils doing so in maths
• 92.7% of pupils achieved passes equivalent to at least two A Levels, down from 94.8% the previous year.

On A levels, Nick Gibb added:

A Levels are a key stepping stone towards higher education and future careers. It’s only right that we make sure our qualifications match the best in the world and keep pace with the demands of employers and universities.

It is astonishing that three times as many private school pupils are achieving three A grades or higher at A level compared to pupils from state schools. We must close this gap – which is why we are driving up teaching standards across the profession and developing a world-class curriculum for all.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 17 October 2011.

Government legislating to protect teachers

Nearly half of serious allegations against school teachers turn out to be unsubstantiated, malicious or unfounded, according to new research published today (17 October 2011).

The findings also show that school teachers are more likely to face allegations than other staff in schools and further education colleges.

This comes as the government is looking to give teachers a legal right to anonymity from allegations made by pupils until the point they are charged with a criminal offence. The new power is in the Education Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.

The interim findings from a survey of 116 local authorities in England show that in 2009 to 2010, of the 12,086 allegations of abuse referred to local authorities:

• almost one in four allegations against staff were made against school teachers (2827)
• nearly half of the allegations (1234) made against school teachers were then found to be unsubstantiated, malicious or unfounded
• almost a fifth of school teachers (459) were suspended whilst the allegation was being investigated
• only around half of investigations (2264) against school teachers and non-teaching staff were dealt with within a month – the government guidance says 80 per cent of cases should be concluded by this time

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Every allegation of abuse must be taken seriously, but some children think they can make a false allegation without any thought to the consequences for the teacher concerned.

When these allegations are later found to be malicious or unfounded, the damage is already done. It can have a devastating impact and ruin a teacher’s career and private life.

This research shows why the coalition government’s plan to give teachers a legal right to anonymity when allegations are made by pupils is so important. We will back teachers as they seek to maintain discipline in schools and raise academic standards.

The government has already revised guidance to local authorities and schools to speed up the investigation process when a teacher or a member of staff is accused by a pupil of an offence. This will help ensure all allegations are swiftly dealt with.

New advice published in July 2011 makes it clear that:

• heads can temporarily or permanently exclude pupils who make malicious allegations. In extreme circumstances, they can involve the police if there are grounds for believing a criminal offence has been committed
• schools should not automatically suspend teachers accused of using force unreasonably where other alternatives exist
• the vast majority (80 per cent) of cases should be resolved within a month, 90 per cent within three months and all but the most exceptional within a year
• malicious, unsubstantiated or unfounded allegations should not be included in employment references, and malicious allegations stripped from teacher personnel records

The legal protection from false allegations comes as part of the government’s drive to improve school discipline and shift the balance of power in the classroom back to teachers. Research shows that two thirds of teachers say bad behaviour is driving professionals out of the classroom.

Other measures in the Education Bill to give teachers the confidence to exercise authority and ensure good behaviour in the classroom include:

• extending teachers’ powers to search pupils for any items that have, or could be, used to cause harm or break the law, and for items banned by school rules
• stopping appeals panels sending excluded children back to the school from which they were excluded
• removing the requirement on schools to give parents 24 hours notice of detention