Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Ramifications of teacher lying about a training course?

137 replies

kedavra · 11/02/2023 18:26

For the past 6 months I've had the most horrendous dealings with a primary school after withdrawing my son. We have a disability discrimination tribunal next month, and have recently submitted all our evidence for the deadline.

One of the teachers has said in their statement that they have had training for the medical condition my son has.

I'm calling bullshit.

I sent a SEND7 for their response, and got a very quick response from their solicitor saying that it was a generic video so no certificate. The hospital team have confirmed that the online learning course they, and many other trusts, use is made of modules, assessments and CPD certified.

Surely this has to count as gross misconduct?

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 11/02/2023 20:08

No, it's not gross misconduct. They completed a course.

Justalittlebitduckling · 11/02/2023 20:20

As a teacher, I had training on medical conditions like diabetes or anaphylaxis, led by the school nurse (so in house). Would take up a morning and no certificate.

I would see that as different to CPD (continued professional development) where I went on an external course such as mental health first aid or self harm awareness which was a whole day and resulted in a certificate of attendance (not necessarily certification).

The teacher probably means something like the former.

Luredbyapomegranate · 11/02/2023 20:22

donquixotedelamancha · 11/02/2023 19:01

Of course it isn't gross misconduct, what a silly statement.

Very, very few teachers would be given time and funding for a multi-stage, CPD-certified course about one condition.

Quite.

Presumably you are hoping to get this teacher sacked OP?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
lonelyinyournightmare · 11/02/2023 20:27

Gross misconduct - bloody hell. Yet another teacher bashing post.

Most teacher training is done in house by people who know next to nothing on the thing they are 'training'. Not the teacher's fault if the training was carp. Most of it is done on the cheap. I have had 'training' on nut allergies, epipens, epilepsy, domestic violence, FGM, autism, radicalization, ACEs and much more. Some was excellent, some was dire. I can still honestly say I have had training.

Training is not the same as having qualifications.

TiaI · 11/02/2023 20:29

At least you now know how little training the teacher had. A video indeed! Not in-depth studies with evidenced knowledge, no qualifications.

EVHead · 11/02/2023 20:35

What outcome is it you want?

Soontobe60 · 11/02/2023 20:36

If teachers had to do in depth training for every possible SEN condition a pupil of theirs may have, they’d never be in the classroom!
You haven’t said what the condition is they have had training on?

TwilightSilhouette · 11/02/2023 20:38

OP can you see that the training hospital staff might receive will be very much more involved than that of a teacher. A teacher is there to educate a class of 30 or more children, who may have very many difficulties, to the best if their ability. The reality is mainstream schools are not coping with the many special needs of children as they are overwhelmed and under resourced.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 11/02/2023 20:40

Who's solicitor, the school's or the teacher's? Is the school not protecting the teacher?

Can you prove the hospital cpd is the only online training available in this condition? And the only training that ever has been available?

It's really nasty and vindictive to go after an individual teacher who was probably put in an impossible position by the school, who probably wouldn't fund proper training and support.

But at least hopefully threads like this will remind teachers to join a union.

cansu · 11/02/2023 20:43

I am a teacher I have had training in many things. The training may consist of an online course or even a pd day session with a nurse or similar. I do not have any dates or certification. I just remember doing it. It is nonsense to be trying to gain evidence or not if this.

ManyNameChanges · 11/02/2023 21:15

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 11/02/2023 20:40

Who's solicitor, the school's or the teacher's? Is the school not protecting the teacher?

Can you prove the hospital cpd is the only online training available in this condition? And the only training that ever has been available?

It's really nasty and vindictive to go after an individual teacher who was probably put in an impossible position by the school, who probably wouldn't fund proper training and support.

But at least hopefully threads like this will remind teachers to join a union.

Without knowing WHY the OP has decided to go to tribunal (eg the life if her child has been out at risk, child ending up in hospital with a serious issue etc…), it’s impossible to make any jugement on the OP decision to go to tribunal.

Im not sure why you, and a few other posters, think it’s ok to automatically protect the teacher. Teachers are humans, with all the good and the bad sides if being human.

TortolaParadise · 11/02/2023 21:16

Rodentsrock · 11/02/2023 19:55

The thing is, they're a teacher, not a medically trained person.

It's ridiculous the amount a 'teacher' has to take on these days. When would they have time to take on another qualification? They probably watched a video and got a certificate. I havent kept half of mine. Hopefully, they're in a supportive union.

This.

middleoftheroadlife · 11/02/2023 21:20

I'm a TA and have done epilepsy, gastro tube feeding, anaphylaxis, first aid, manual handling and TeamTeach training amongst other things. Some of it took an hour, some took a day or two. I don't have certificates for all of them. I don't think the teacher would lie about having done specific training but what that training consists of is anyone's guess. Having good experience of dealing with the condition first hand is much more valuable than a couple of hours of watching and answering questions in a CPD course to hold up a certificate. CPD can be done in pretty much anything and really isn't worth much at all.

C152 · 11/02/2023 21:22

OP, I am guessing that you feel that whatever training they did have, it wasn't sufficient to provide the level of support you feel was required / was set out in your child's EHCP? Since no one can prove whether the teacher watched the video or not, I would ask for a link to the video then present an argument that it was insufficient training.

Cocobutt · 11/02/2023 21:39

You can train in something but not necessarily get a recognised professional qualification at the end of it.

I agree.

I have lots of training on disabilities and illnesses like diabetes, so I can keep a diabetic student safe whilst in my care, but I am in no way a diabetic nurse or any sort of diabetic professional.

Is the discrimination directly related to the fact that they say they had training?
If not then I wouldn’t mention it.

echt · 11/02/2023 21:52

C152 · 11/02/2023 21:22

OP, I am guessing that you feel that whatever training they did have, it wasn't sufficient to provide the level of support you feel was required / was set out in your child's EHCP? Since no one can prove whether the teacher watched the video or not, I would ask for a link to the video then present an argument that it was insufficient training.

In which the case the complaint is against the school, not the teacher.

ouch321 · 11/02/2023 21:54

OP has the identical thread running in Reddit (came across by chance) in the legal UK section, probably as they aren't getting the response they wanted here.

ballsdeep · 11/02/2023 21:54

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 11/02/2023 18:59

I’m a teacher. I’ve done all sorts of training. I couldn’t provide a certificate for all of them (or, if I’m honest, for any of them. Even if we get them I don’t keep them).

This.

I have had numerous Epi pen training sessions, asthma courses etc but I have never had a certificate.

MargaretThursday · 11/02/2023 22:07

I don't think you can expect all teachers that are in contact with your ds to do a qualification in their disability.

In dd2's infant form alone there was:
Congenital amputation defect of upper limb (that was dd2)
Epilepsy
Severe hypermobility
Tendency for dislocation of knee
Asthma
Anaphylaxis allergy
ASD and various comorbid conditions
and also diabetic (if you count that; my friend who is diabetic hates it being called a disability, but some people do)

So that is 8 training days away from the children, and 8x course fees to be paid out of a small budget. Yes, some of them are common enough that they would potentially have children regularly, but I'd suspect that to be properly trained then they'd still need to look at doing at least biannually as things need updating regularly.
For dd2, her condition is rare enough that there's a good chance that they'll never come across another child with it. The best teachers were the ones who asked me or dd what the best things to help were.
Heck, it's rare enough the GP has asked me for advice and I got a call from the HV asking for help for a colleague who'd just had a child in their care born with the same condition.

One thing I learnt fairly early on was to make sure the teacher felt comfortable in helping dd. The more comfortable the teacher was, the more they could help her in the right way. When they felt nervous or that they could get things wrong especially if they could be blamed, then they tended to step back which ultimately meant dd struggled more.

MichelleScarn · 11/02/2023 22:13

**One of the teachers has said in their statement that they have had training for the medical condition my son has.

I'm calling bullshit.**

I can't work out if op is wanting to take this on a legal route because the school are saying they can't meet her child's needs and the bullshit is on relation to this because this teacher is 'trained'

Or she's doing it because she thinks the teacher is dangerous/shite or because she thinks the teacher has caused harm?

RSintes · 11/02/2023 22:14

And again the great British public wonders exactly why teachers are leaving the profession in droves....

Nimbostratus100 · 11/02/2023 22:19

As a teacher, I have had "training" in over 60 medical conditions, over the years. so what? That doesn't make me medically qualified

Teacher training in medical conditions is limited, and no, there are rarely any certificates or anything like that, who is going to bother to go to all the extra expense and effort to do yet more pointless paper work?

You learn what you can, you remember what you can, you maybe try it out, it maybe does or doesnt work with the particular individual you have in front of you

Some of this training is useful, much is just a government way of attempting to foist responsibility onto schools because the NHS isn't coping.

I have refused to give my name in some training sessions, because, yes I want the advice, but no, I dont want to be held accountable for treating a medical condition I am not qualified to treat - how am I better at caring for a teenage girl with anorexia after a 30 minute power point?

Macaroni46 · 11/02/2023 23:10

Notice the OP hasn't returned ...

nbcsw · 11/02/2023 23:12

Macaroni46 · 11/02/2023 23:10

Notice the OP hasn't returned ...

Pity, they seemed like such a lovely human being.

MichelleScarn · 11/02/2023 23:16

And so informative and rationale!