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The ONLY weekly voice for secondary education Issue 213 • May 14 2009 Price £1.00
www.sec-ed.com
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would have got through it. It put an
up by sending us your email
DON'T ABUSE
enormous amount of stress on my
address. It is completely free marriage.”
and we will not pass on your MY NAME
campaign
Had Mr Wren failed in his
details to third parties. Just
action against the police, then the
email editor@sec-ed.co.uk
national database of DNA would
by Chris
SE
M
Parr
have contained his details alongside
Y
a case of alleged assault against a
child. In addition, his union would
In March l
T
A
B
U
N
'
ast year, history teacher have been faced with legal costs of
Matthew W
N
ren was unlawfully around £20,000.
arrested afte
O
M
A
r
D
being
E
accused of Mark Blois, SecEd’s legal
assault by one of his students. expert, and partner at education law
His case ncampaignever went to trial. firm Browne Jacobson, said: “The
There was no evidence against him. law is clear that unless an arrest
And now the high court has ruled can be said to be ‘necessary’, it will
that all police records of his DNA be deemed unlawful. Teachers and
and fingerprints – taken on the day their unions are going to be encour-
Charitable debate
of his arrest – must be destroyed.
Photos
aged by the outcome in this case
The ruling represents a signifi- and will probably bring more legal
Fee-charging schools with
cant victory in the fight to ensure challenges seeking to protect the
charitable status have to meet
fair treatment for teachers accused integrity of teachers.”
/
Newcastle
new requirements from the
of wrongdoing, and could lead to a Mr Wren said he was “disap-
wave of legal action from others in pointed” to have left teaching, but
Charity Commission. Head
similar situations. considered himself lucky to have
Marion Gibbs explains
It also came in the week when
/
NCJMEDIA
walked into another job – allowing
Pages 8 and 9 the government unveiled plans that him to move on.
will leave DNA profiles of innocent “In many ways, I think that
people on the national database for
Commins
my case was an accident waiting
up to 12 years. to happen. In 15 years of teaching
Mr Wren, 37, told SecEd that the
Andy
students – many with behavioural
last year had been a “nightmare”, conditions – I have seen verbal and
Photo:
and that the events had forced him physical assaults swept under the
to quit the job he loved – after 15 Vindicated: Matthew Wren’s DNA records will be destroyed after his high court victory carpet.
years teaching at the same school. “I hope my case helps out teach-
He said: “It was me that initially DNA swabs and fingerprints, even of false accusations against teachers officer, and is critical of the support ers who find themselves in a similar
went to the police, to report a boy though my solicitor informed them for the last four years. he received from both his school position. I am sure there will be
in my class for an assault against that the arrest itself was unlawful.” Ms Keates told us: “There is and the local authority in the wake more cases, but at least on this occa-
me. The police didn’t seem to take The legal action taken by Mr something wrong with law enforce- of the allegations. sion justice prevailed.”
any action, but when the boy made Wren was supported by his union, ment when a teacher, himself a He said: “I think both schools’ A spokesman for Northumbria
Hitting the targets a counter-claim – alleging that I the NASUWT. General secre- victim of assault, reports this to the and local authorities’ duty of care Police told SecEd that it now
had assaulted him – I was asked to tary, Chris Keates, told SecEd that police only to be arrested as a result to teachers needs to be seriously accepted that the arrest had been
Is performance management
come down to the station, where I the ruling represented a critically of a counter-claim by the pupil. In looked at, because I received very unlawful, and had agreed to the
on your mind? Deputy head was arrested straight away. It was important development in the cam- Mr Wren’s case, the assault on him little support other than a token let- deletion of the photographic, DNA,
Jo Smith says you should be
very embarrassing, since another paign to ensure that teachers who was never investigated. ter – which came from the school. and fingerprint records, and the
looking back at your targets
student of mine saw me in the face allegations from pupils are “The outcome of this case will The local authority acted as if it amendment of the police national
for the year, but also looking
station. treated fairly. significantly change the way teach- couldn’t care less. computer.
“I was told very little. The police The union has already pledged ers who are accused of assault are “I went to bed thinking about Sunderland City Council, the
to the future
completely ignored my story about its support to SecEd’s Don’t Abuse dealt with by the police.” the allegations, and woke up think- local authority in which Mr Wren’s
Page 13
what had happened, and after about My Name campaign, which has Mr Wren now works for Durham ing about them, and without the school is located, said it was unable
seven hours in the station they took been raising awareness of the issue University as an accommodation support of my wife I don’t think I to comment.
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