Concerning delay in teaching ban after pupil relationship
The news that it took 17 years for a teacher who had admitted a sexual relationship with a pupil to be banned rings alarm bells.
Matthew Whale taught PE at what was then the Easthampstead Park Community School in Bracknell, Berkshire, between 2001 and 2008. He was suspended and later resigned after his relationship with a pupil was reported.
At the time, the school referred the case to the Department for Education’s Safeguarding Unit, but, 14 years later in 2022 the school learned that the safeguarding referral had still not been resolved, meaning Whale could still legally teach.
The school therefore referred Mr Whale to the Teaching Regulation Agency [TRA]. In September 2022. Mr Whale initially denied the allegations against it but then later admitted them in 2023.
The TRA has now finally found banned Mr Whale from teaching for life.
It appears in this case Mr Whale had stopped teaching of his own accord following his resignation in 2008, but it’s highly concerning that there was nothing stopping him for seeking another job as a teacher between 2008 and 2022. Why did it take so long for the case against him to be investigated? It is clear the proper process was not followed, and this case was allowed to slip through the cracks.
Although Mr Whale has now been banned, there needs to be accountability for the Department for Education’s Safeguarding Unit – it is unclear what, if any, action they took in 2008. Has this happened in other cases too? I call on the Department for Education to commit to an investigation into this matter and to publishing the findings, so that the public can learn the full extent of any problem and be assured that this cannot happen again.
For survivors of abuse, it is vital reports of inappropriate relationships are taken seriously, and steps are taken immediately to investigate claim. Teachers found to be in relationships with students need to be quickly prohibited from working with children.
We work with survivors of abuse in schools and see firsthand the impact this type of abuse can have on an individual in the long-term. Read more about our experience in this area or if you’d like to speak to a solicitor about your experience, please do get in touch.
