A FEMALE teacher is being investigated by police over claims about a relationship with a pupil, it emerged yesterday.
The woman, who is in her late twenties, was suspended from Bankhead Academy in Bucksburn near Aberdeen, before the end of the summer term in June.
She is alleged to have been conducting a relationship with the boy, who was 15 years old at the ti
me.
It is understood the disciplinary action was sparked by an incident outwith the school.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Grampian Police said: "We can confirm we are making inquiries into an allegation made against a member of staff at Bankhead Academy. Inquiries are ongoing and we can make no further comment."
The Scotsman understands that the teacher, who has not been identified, is currently out of the country on holiday.
Last night, she had not been charged with any offence.
Aberdeen City Council yesterday confirmed that a teacher at the school had been suspended.
A spokesman said: "It would be inappropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation."
Athol Garden, the Academy's headteacher, informed staff about a complaint against the teacher at a staff meeting before the end of term.
One teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, said the identity of the teacher was revealed at a later meeting.
Yesterday, it emerged that rumours had been rife at the school.
Janet Murray, 49, whose son attends Bankhead, said: "It's shocking to know one of the teachers is accused of having a relationship with a pupil."
Previously, it was only a criminal offence if a teacher had a relationship with a pupil aged under 16. Relationships with older pupils were considered a breach of professional conduct and would see the teacher thrown off the teaching register.
However, legal changes mean that the age of consent has now been raised to 18, where the adult is in a position of trust to the child.
Teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers and other care professionals can now face prosecution for having sexual relations with a 16, or 17-year-old.
The changes were made under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, UK law which applies in Scotland.
John Forrester, a music teacher, was barred from teaching in 2006 after the married father in his forties quit his post at Aberdeen's Kincorth Academy to set up home with a 16-year-old former pupil, who later gave birth to his child.
The Crown Office decided not to prosecute, claiming that it was "not in the public interest".
Two teachers at Queen Victoria military school in Dunblane avoided prosecution in 2005 – despite accusations that one of them had a relationship with a 17-year-old female pupil – as the alleged incident occurred in 2002, before the Act came into force in 2004.
The full article contains 470 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
