§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list the changes he has introduced in the regime of independent schools as a result of the case involving child abuse at Crookham Court school in Berkshire;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to require head teachers always to inform the police and his Department when a member of staff is required to leave a school because of child abuse; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Fallon[pursuant to his answer, 22 January 1991, c. 121–23]: The Department is now consulting independent schools organisations and other bodies on amendments to the Education (Particulars of Independent Schools) Regulations 1982. The Welsh Office will consult in Wales.
These amendments will require proprietors of independent schools to report to the Secretary of State where any person—not just any teacher as at present—is dismissed from employment for misconduct, or would have been dismissed or considered for dismissal had they not resigned. Proprietors will also be required to provide particulars of all staff, not just teaching staff, on application for registration and annually.
The changes will enable the Department to consider placing independent schools' non-teaching staff on list 99, as well as teaching staff, and will make it possible to check regularly that no barred staff are working in independent schools in a non-teaching capacity.
The closing date for consultation is 8 March and we plan to make amending regulations soon thereafter. In the meantime, the organisations consulted are being asked to invite any schools in membership to begin reporting voluntarily.