Teachers (Criminal Convictions)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that people with serious criminal convictions are teaching in schools. (S4T-00747)
The Scottish Government is determined that appropriate steps be taken to ensure that our children are safe and secure and that parents have confidence in the arrangements that are in place for safeguarding their children.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland has been an independent body since April 2012, and it is for the GTCS to satisfy itself about the credentials of teachers who work in Scotland. It is important that the GTCS keep its procedures under review, to ensure that parents can be confident about the safeguards that are in place.
The minister will be aware that figures reveal that, since 2007, around 400 staff who have criminal records have been teaching in our schools. Although a number of the convictions were for offences that have nothing to do with the staff’s roles as teachers, a number will cause concern among parents, pupils and the wider population. Some offences are of a sexual nature and some relate to assault. Notwithstanding what the minister said about the independence of the GTCS, is he prepared to consider discussing the matter with the council, to ascertain whether the rules need clarification so that certain offences result in debarring of individuals from the teaching profession?
Liam McArthur is right to regard the issue as worthy of serious discussion. I sought information from the GTCS, which is independent of political control. It is important to put the figures that the member mentioned in some context—without in any way reducing a vital issue to figures. There has been discussion in the press about there being around 400 criminals, including sex offenders, working in our schools. I sought the figures from the GTCS: in 2011-12, 105 out of 113 cases that were dealt with related to road traffic offences, such as speeding; and in 2012-13, 146 out of 158 cases related to road traffic offences.
I do not want to trivialise road traffic offences, but it is worth saying that, in that two-year period, which is the only period for which reliable figures exist, only two cases related to convictions for sexual offences. Again, I do not trivialise such offences, but neither case involved a child or a non-consenting adult. One case was to do with an incident in 1966, when the teacher concerned had had sex when they were 17, in contravention of what was then the law.
We should take the whole issue extremely seriously, and the GTCS does so, but it is important to put the figures in context.
I thank the minister for that clarification. When we discuss such issues, it is entirely sensible to put the figures in context. We are talking about a small minority, in a workforce that does excellent work with our children and young people. Nevertheless, there is concern about a small number of incidents, one of which relates to an assault that led to a community service order, which was running while the individual remained in the profession. Notwithstanding the independence of the GTCS, will the minister commit to further discussion with it about whether the rules need to be tightened slightly, in light of the figures?
It is for the GTCS to bring forward new procedures that it wants to introduce.
I hope that I have reassured the member that some of the figures that are in circulation have tended towards giving an inaccurate impression of the situation. The GTCS and the Government take child safety extremely seriously, and I think that the 71,000 people in Scotland who are registered with the GTCS do so too.
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