Kelly
faces sex offender row
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1681896,00.html
Observer
- 8th January 2006
The
police and NSPCC are calling for policy reform after the Education
Secretary backed a suspected paedophile to become a school PE teacher
Campaigners
are demanding an urgent reform of Britain's child protection system
after The Observer revealed last night that the Education Secretary,
Ruth Kelly, had approved the appointment of a registered sex offender
as a PE teacher.
Kelly's
decision - in the full knowledge that the man had been placed on
the register by police, who believed he had accessed paedophile
websites - has astonished children's charities and triggered calls
for politicians to be prevented from deciding who should be barred
from working in education.
Last night
the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said
lessons had still to be learnt following the murders of Soham schoolgirls
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002. After Ian Huntley was convicted
of the pair's murder, it emerged the school caretaker had been linked
to a catalogue of allegations of rape, indecent assault and sex
with underage girls.
The revelation
prompted the Bichard Inquiry, which called for more stringent vetting
of those working with children and criticised agencies and police
for failing to check Huntley's background. 'The NSPCC has been concerned
for some time that the decision to bar someone from working closely
with children rests with the Secretary of State for Education on
the advice of civil servants rather than child protection experts,'
said Natalie Cronin, head of policy and public affairs at the NSPCC.
'It is
not clear whether civil servants have the degree of knowledge necessary
to make such a decision. To judge whether someone will be a risk
to children, you need to consider a number of potential risks. You
also need knowledge of employment law, criminal law and a detailed
knowledge of child protection.'
The Observer
can reveal that the teacher was given a position within the physical
education department at The Hewett School in Norwich in December
but was suspended before taking up the position following protests
from police.
Last May,
the Department for Education and Skills' Safeguarding Children unit
wrote to Norfolk County Council, saying that the Secretary of State
for Education had 'considered all aspects of the case, including
sex offender registration, and decided that the risks of the teacher
being allowed to continue teaching were acceptable'.
The Safeguarding
Children unit said Kelly believed the man should not be placed on
list 99, the national list of people barred from working with children.
There have been suggestions that she believed the evidence against
the man was inconclusive. However, police are understood to have
followed stringent Home Office guidelines when deciding to place
the man on the register and privately express deep reservations
that their risk assessment was overruled.
Last night
Norfolk Social Services issued a statement calling on the DfES to
review its guidance to schools. 'This case highlights a serious
policy contradiction that we are keen that the DfES addresses urgently
- namely that it is possible for a teacher to have their name on
the sex offender register, but not on list 99. We have written to
the DfES highlighting these concerns and have been informed they
are reviewing these matters.'
In a prepared
joint statement, Tom Samain, the headteacher at The Hewett School,
and Marion Wright, its chair of governors, said: 'Child protection
is our paramount concern at The Hewett School and we take our responsibilities
very seriously indeed.
'The person
concerned is no longer employed and there will be a full examination
of the processes in this case. This is the first time we have had
such a case and received such a notification from the DfES. We are
concerned at the policy contradictions it throws up and have raised
our concerns with the DfES.'
Simon Morgan,
a spokesman for Norfolk police, said they had acted immediately
on learning of the man's appointment. 'Swift action was taken as
soon as this matter came to our attention. We convened an urgent
meeting with all relevant partner agencies and individuals including
the headteacher to review the situation and determine the most appropriate
course of action. The issues which arose from that meeting are now
being pursued by children's services and Norfolk County Council
and the Department for Education and Skills.'
A spokesman
for the DfES said it didn't discuss individual cases and that it
was up to local education authorities to assess the risk posed by
a potential teacher.
'We urge
all employers in the education sector to carry out thorough pre-employment
checks, including Criminal Record Bureau checks, on prospective
employees and there is an onus on them to do this. For those working
as teachers, employers should obtain a CRB-enhanced level disclosure,
which will reveal whether the individual is on the sex offender
register, along with other important information that employers
should consider when deciding whether to employ someone.'
