No criminal record checks for teachers from overseas

HUNDREDS of teachers from overseas who want to work in Scottish schools will no longer be required to provide criminal records checks under controversial proposals. The regulatory body for teachers is considering plans to scrap the requirement because of the difficulties in securing checks from some countries.

More than 500 teachers from overseas have applied to work in Scottish schools over the past five years. Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: "The regulation around disclosures for anyone working with children in Scotland is something we often say is overdone, but in this case we believe parents expect that anyone working in a school would be checked.

"Parents would be surprised that some teachers coming from other countries would not be asked to provide criminal-records checks. "There may not be a level playing field, but removing checks from those who can provide them does not seem to be a reasonable solution."

Iain Ellis, chairman of the National Parent Forum of Scotland, added: "We believe that checks should be as robust as possible for all teachers working in all Scottish schools and that no-one should be exempt from these checks."

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union, also expressed concern. "Clearly, the suggestion of some overseas applicants to the GTCS register potentially not being criminal-record checked is an issue that raises concerns.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2014-03-26.2.0

Scottish parents are being monitored and data mined by the named person before a child is born and all the way up to the child`s eighteenth birthday. It makes no difference whether or not they have a criminal record. The proposal to forego criminal checks for teachers from overseas cannot be justified but does make a nonsense of keeping children safe with the GIRFEC approach.