Flintshire Council rejects controversial ‘inappropriate relationships with pupils’ teacher oath proposal

A proposal which would have seen Flintshire teachers required to swear an oath against inappropriate relationships with pupils has been rejected following a strong backlash.

The controversial motion calling for anyone employed in education in the county to make a specific commitment not to form intimate relationships with students was discussed at a meeting of Flintshire County Council this week.

It was put forward following the court case of Gwynedd headteacher Neil Foden, who was jailed for 17 years in July after being found guilty of sexually abusing four girls.

Education union NASUWT said before the meeting that introducing the oath, which would need to have been made in front of a manager, would show a “shocking contempt” for teachers.

Meanwhile, Laura Doel, national secretary at NAHT Cymru, described it as “an insult to the thousands of dedicated teachers and leaders who go above and beyond for their learners”.

However, Hope councillor Gladys Healey, who proposed the motion, said she felt stronger measures were needed to protect children from abuse by education workers.

The Labour politician told the full council meeting held in Mold that she stood by her belief despite the opposition.

She said: “There has been a lot said on social media and by the unions, but I still stand by what I say. We have to protect our children.

“When parents take children to school, they hand them over. They can’t protect those children. They are there in school, and they need to be protected.

“Other professions like doctors, nurses and the fire service all take an oath so what is different when you say a teacher can’t take an oath?”

The motion was seconded by Cllr Healey’s husband, David, who worked as a teacher for more than four decades.

The council’s cabinet member for climate change and economy said he would have had no objection to swearing the oath.

He said: “I was a teacher for some 40 years across two authorities, and I’ve certainly seen things that make me feel that taking an oath is appropriate.

“I know there’s been a backlash against this notice of motion by some teaching unions, but as a former teacher for that length of time, I would not have been the least bit offended if I’d been required to do that.”

However, the council’s chief education officer condemned the motion and warned it could see teachers in Flintshire quitting their jobs or taking strike action.

Claire Homard said the authority already had strong safeguarding procedures in place and an oath would not deter would-be offenders.

She said: “I am very concerned that this notice of motion is calling into question the professionalism of the education workforce here in Flintshire because of the behaviour of an individual outside of this authority.

“I am concerned that staff in our schools may be feeling insulted by the insinuation from this notice of motion that they cannot be trusted because of the actions of one individual, and the impact this will have on their morale.

“I am concerned that this notice of motion could drive staff out of our schools in Flintshire, and that will have devastating impacts on our learners and make recruitment and retention of staff even more challenging than it is already.

“I’m even more concerned that if this notice of motion is supported today, the council will be subject to large scale industrial action by the education workforce unions, who are already publicly expressing their concern in relation to this motion.”

Ms Homard said pupils in Flintshire had already faced significant disruption to their education because of the Covid pandemic.

She said any further interruptions caused by strikes would be “catastrophic” for learners.

She added: “We have all been appalled by the actions of the individual referred to in this notice of motion, and indeed by any case of abuse of a learner by staff members who they should be able to trust.

“But rather than cast a shadow over the professionalism of our entire workforce, I would urge you to celebrate the dedication and the commitment of all of our workforce here in Flintshire.”

Liberal Democrat councillor David Coggins Cogan said while he could not support the motion, he felt the chief officer’s rebuke was “slightly too firm”.

He said: “I think Cllr Healey’s heart is very obviously in the right place, and she’s very passionate about this position.”

Meanwhile, Sean Bibby, cabinet member for housing, said: “There may be the odd individual that causes problems and does incredibly evil things.

“But we have to remember that nearly every single person that walks out the door in the morning and goes into our schools and our education facilities is dedicated to our children.”

The majority of councillors voted not to adopt the oath at the end of the debate.

They instead put on record that the council abhors any abuse of children and young people, including the formation of inappropriate relationships between teachers and those they are responsible for.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter