Protect School Support Staff
Thursday 27th January
2011
GMB SAYS THAT FAILURE TO
INCLUDE SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF IN NEW
LAW ON PUPIL SEARCHES WILL LEAVE THEM WITHOUT PROPER
PROTECTION AGAINST FALSE ACCUSATIONS AND
PROSECUTIONS
GMB call on the Government to
amend its proposals to include school support staff, otherwise
Gove's discipline revolution could be stopped in its
tracks
GMB, the union for school support
staff, complained that new legislation to give protection to
teachers in cases where they are accused by school pupils of wrong
doing does not provide the same level of protection for school
support staff who make up half of the school workforce.
The Government's Education Bill
extends the power of school staff to search pupils without consent
and also promises teachers anonymity if accused by pupils of wrong
doing.
All school staff currently have a
legal power to use reasonable force to control or restrain pupils.
Part 2 of the draft legislation extends this legal power. It adds
new items to the list of "prohibited items" which (under the
Education Act 1996 and Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and
Learning Act 2009) can be searched for by teachers or any other
person who "has lawful control or charge of pupils for whom
education is being provided at the school".
Part 3 of the draft legislation
introduces restrictions on the public reporting of allegations made
against teachers but does not include the restrictions for the
school support staff.
This cuts across existing legislation
which does include the school support staff. It says, "All school
staff members have a legal power to use reasonable force to prevent
pupils committing a criminal offence, injuring themselves or others
or damaging property, and to maintain good order and discipline".
See Department for Children, Schools and Families, "The use of
force to control or restrain pupils: Guidance for schools in
England", April 2010.
GMB National Officer Sharon Holder
said: "School support staff make up half of the school
workforce. This proposed legislation leaves them between a rock and
a hard place without the necessary protection afforded to the
teachers.
These days school support
staff such as Teaching Assistants and Cover Supervisors are often
left in sole charge of a class. They will be expected to use these
new disciplinary powers, yet they won't be given the same
protection from allegations that teachers will. This is palpably
unfair.
Staff will rightly be wary of
exercising any disciplinary powers unless Michael Gove ensures
equal protection for all.
GMB call on the Government to
amend its proposals to include school support staff, otherwise
Gove's discipline revolution could be stopped in its
tracks."
Ends
Contact: Sharon
Holder, GMB National Officer on 07713 508725 or Avril Chambers, GMB
National Officer on 07974 251766 or GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle
on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.
Notes to Editors: GMB
has 120,000 school support staff members working in schools across
the UK. They work as teaching assistants, cover supervisors, cooks
and kitchen crew, caretakers, cleansers, laboratory technicians,
lunchtime supervisors, patrol crossing wardens, secretaries and
administrative assistants.