Teachers' anger over cost of police checks

NEWLY qualified teachers face having to pay hundreds of pounds for background checks in the scramble for scarce jobs in Scotland's schools, it was claimed last night.

• Charges for criminal records checks are due to jump to 59. Picture: Getty

While all trainee teachers are vetted by Disclosure Scotland before they are allowed into the classroom on placements, some local authorities require them to repeat the process before applying for a job. And with the current shortage of jobs, teachers could face having to pay for separate checks at several of Scotland's 32 local authorities to maximise their chances of finding work.

Ann Ballinger, general-secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA), said: "We have heard of people having to go through four or five checks in a month with each taking 6-8 weeks to come through.

"People shouldn't have to go through this process again and again."

She said it was particularly affecting those trying to work on a casual basis in schools.

Supply teaching - covering for absent teachers or working on a casual basis - is an option becoming increasingly popular as full-time vacancies dry up due to council staffing cutbacks.

Mrs Ballinger added: "It is a hugely important issue because if you want to get on the supply list, you have to go through the disclosure process. And some local authorities are saying they will only do a check if an applicant is only applying for jobs in their area."

This is because local authorities are baulking at paying significant amounts to check all candidates, some of whom opt to go and work in other council areas.

Currently, there is huge competition for jobs, exacerbating the problem.

The checks currently cost 23 per local authority but the price is set to rise to 59 a time in the autumn.

Ms Ballinger added: "If you have just come out of university, you don't have the kind of money to be able to pay for this.

"And it is a problem which is becoming worse because there are so few jobs around.

"Sometimes, by the time they go through the application and disclosure process and become eligible to apply, the job has gone."

Education leaders admitted cash-strapped councils were desperate to make savings anywhere possible.

John Stodter, general-secretary of the Association of Education Directors in Scotland, said: "All sorts of things are being charged for now.

"For example, sending a letter confirming your employment to a mortgage lender is being charged at 20 a time.

"Councils are getting wise to what happens in the private sector where this already happens."

He also suggested councils might charge teachers for being on a supply list in future.

Mr Stodter said: "In terms of relief teaching, a lot of other professions have an agency and you have to be enrolled with an agency to work, so all these kinds of issues - lots of small ways to make and save costs - could be considered.

"Councils will be looking for any which way to create a bit of extra income. And given that the major cost is teachers, as councils employ so many, this is a clear area to look at possible cuts."

He said some councils received hundreds of applications for every job, and it was proving extremely expensive to carry out checks.

Mr Stodter added: "Some councils in the Central Belt claim they have 200 applications per teaching job and East Renfrewshire claims up to 300.Plus, in terms of supply registers, they would have hundreds on those lists, with some only doing Mondays or working at certain schools, so to some councils those might be potential sources of income."

Last year, the number of unemployed teachers hit a three-year high, according to the Office for National Statistics, and figures published earlier this year showed the number of teachers in jobs had fallen by 1,348 in a year.

It means more teachers than ever are applying for every vacancy as cash-strapped councils axe education jobs in a bid to make budget cutbacks.

About 3,857 new graduates are expected to join the profession this summer, with many of the 2,307 teachers who qualified last year still seeking permanent work.

The Scottish Government, in a bid to tackle the problem, has cut teacher-training places by 1,550 for next year.

Meanwhile, however, a senior education source described the double-checking as unnecessary.

He said: "Every teacher who is registered with the GTCS (regulatory body the General Teaching Council for Scotland] has to have a disclosure check done before they can even be recognised as a teacher, so it seems strange for councils to do it again."

The Scottish Government said it had recognised the problem and was seeking to rectify the issue from next autumn.

A spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government has very much recognised the burden and bureaucracy associated with multiple disclosure checks and we have taken action on this. The new Protection for Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme will do away with the need for multiple checks and instead people will pay to become a member of the new PVG scheme."

However, parents have previously criticised the new scheme, saying it would also be expensive and could see the end of traditional foreign-exchange trips.

Earlier this year, the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) warned the new system could mean every person in a household would have to undergo checks to host children from an overseas family.

The SPTC warned that local authorities would not be prepared to pay high disclosure costs and may end up accommodating overseas pupils in hostels where staff do not need to undergo checks.

However, from November, new teachers applying for posts for the first time will be able to apply to join the scheme.

It is a classic example of non joined-up thinking that can surely be remedied by a more efficiently run central information clearing system.

CHECKING YOU OUT

A DISCLOSURE is a document providing impartial and confidential information, including criminal records, held by the police and government departments, which can be used by employers making recruitment decisions.

The disclosure process requires proof of identity, and will reveal details of any previous criminal record and information about inclusion on lists banning the applicant from working with children or vulnerable adults, such as the sex offenders register.

The system was introduced to protect vulnerable groups from offenders. zz