Almost 60% of secondary heads have suffered from false allegations by students in the past three years. Now their leaders are calling for safeguards.
Doing the right thing is sometimes no protection. Your teaching can be brilliant and your dealings with the students exemplary, but your whole career can be put on the line as a result of one malicious complaint. And that's precisely the situation in which an increasing number of teachers are finding themselves. The latest findings of the Headspace survey of primary and secondary headteachers, carried out by Education Guardian and EdComs, and administered by ICM, shows that the practice of making false allegations against members of school staff is now endemic in secondary schools.
Of the 825 headteachers who replied to the questionnaire, 59% of secondary heads said that either they or at least one of their teachers had been on the wrong end of a false complaint relating to bullying, neglect or verbal or physical abuse over the past three years. Nor were these always one-off isolated incidents; more than half the schools had experienced this between two and five times.
Complaints are always a tough call. Not so long ago many teachers regarded the classroom as their own personal fiefdom and felt secure enough to act however they felt and, unquestionably, some did overstep the limits of acceptable practice. So something did need to change to give parents and children more say, but now many are wondering if the balance hasn't swung too much in their favour.
The problem is that all complaints are treated the same - regardless of whether they have substance or not. In some ways that's as it should be - schools have a duty to take these things seriously and maintain transparency - but the process can be horrendous even for the innocent. Some teachers are suspended while the complaint is investigated, and even those who aren't usually become targets of whispering campaigns. Like it or not, mud sticks.
Why are so many teachers now becoming subject to these allegations? John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) believes it is symptomatic of a breakdown in the relationship between school and families.
"Parents generally used to side with the school," he says. "If a teacher told them their child was misbehaving, then they accepted it and backed it up. Now it's far more common for parents not to question what their child tells them; so if they are told that a teacher has done something, they assume it's the truth and react accordingly."
Deliberate malice
This would suggest that many complaints are the result of poor communication - that parents don't necessarily set out to ruin a teacher's career, but rather set in chain a series of events they hadn't properly thought through.
Yet Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), reckons that some allegations are deliberately malicious. "People understand just how seriously schools are obliged to investigate every complaint these days," he says, "and sometimes they try to work the system to their advantage. They know that some local authorities prefer to admit liability and offer an out-of-court settlement in compensation, rather than go through a difficult disciplinary procedure that might come down to one person's word against another, and so they register a complaint to see if they can get some cash. It's the lottery mentality, and a payout of a few thousand pounds can be a huge windfall to a family on a low income."
Brookes also argues that heads often find themselves worse off than other members of staff. "If a teacher faces what appears to be an unfounded allegation, then most heads will go out of their way to offer support and protection," he says. "Heads are much more vulnerable because governing bodies are usually reluctant to openly offer support; so heads are frequently left to fend for themselves.
"Two things are urgently needed to redress the situation. First, teachers need to be guaranteed anonymity until any allegation is proven; this wouldn't entirely stop unpleasant gossip but it would reduce it. More importantly, though, I'd like the school to have some kind of redress. At present anyone can make any complaint and there's no comeback if it's not upheld; if parents knew they would in some way be held to account then they might be more considered in their actions."
Both Dunford and Brookes would like to see the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) offer more hands-on guidance in this area, but, while recognising how sensitive these matters can be, the DCSF has no plans to strengthen existing policy.
"We do not believe there is a strong enough case to go beyond the clear principle [of striving for anonymity where possible] to put in place a legal right to anonymity for teachers until they are convicted," says a DCSF spokesman. "This would be a major step and incompatible with the transparent system of justice.
"A second issue is whether allegations should remain on a teacher's record, even if unproven, and should feature in references. Our guidance explains that allegations should be recorded, but that the outcome of the investigation should also be recorded and made clear in any reference. It is also makes clear that where an allegation is shown to have been deliberately invented or malicious, disciplinary and police action should be considered against those responsible." (contd)
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