Anonymity Call For Teachers’ Accused Of Abuse

Scotland’s Commissioner for Children is backing calls for all teachers accused of abuse to be given anonymity unless they are convicted.

Kathleen Marshall has also voiced her concerns over what she considers is the “increasing climate of fear” teachers have to work in.

Her call for teachers who are subject to allegations of abuse from pupils to have the protection of anonymity comes in the latest BBC Radio Scotland Investigation.

In the programme, she supports existing demands from Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, for accused teachers to have their identity kept secret until the allegations are fully investigated.

The calls for anonymity come as there is evidence of increasing false accusations made by pupils against their teachers.
One teacher, John, had his career as a primary teacher destroyed through false claims made by four 11-year-old girls.

“I was accused of looking at female pupils in an inappropriate manner while they were changing for gym. There was another allegation that I’d touched a girl on the bottom,” John explains.

Despite being cleared by the courts and the education authority, he realised the media coverage of his case had destroyed his reputation.

He also lost all trust in children which meant he could not return to teaching.

He said: “Ex-pupils I’d taught would call me a paedophile in the street. It destroyed my life in Edinburgh and I’ve had to move.”

John describes it as a shattering experience.

As well as fearing false allegations being made against them, teachers are also concerned about minor incidents in the classroom becoming complaints of abuse.

Wilma Dalton, a former supply teacher, took one primary schoolgirl by the arm and out of a class for continuing to play a mouth organ despite being told to stop.

The next day she was front page news in the local paper accused of assault by the girl’s parents.

The procurator fiscal took no action, but the education authority found her guilty of corporal punishment and put her on probation for six months.

‘Loss to Scotland’

“When I went back to work in another school, a wee boy referred to the incident with the girl and said to me ‘I hope you’re not going to hit me too’,” Wilma recalled.

“That’s when I realised the incident with the girl would dog me the rest of my days.” She gave up teaching at that point. The EIS is renewing its demand for anonymity for accused teachers.

The union’s assistant secretary, Drew Morrice, told the programme that falsely accused teachers are victims in these circumstances.

“Every time a teacher has their career damaged by a false allegation, there’s a loss to the teaching profession and to Scotland,” he said.

Backing demands for teacher anonymity, Children’s’ Commissioner Kathleen Marshall said: “I think the current situation has created a real climate of fear in which adults are withdrawing from contact with children.”