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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:
moggiek · 12/02/2023 09:42

Definitely not GM.

Meadowfly · 12/02/2023 09:43

Teachers can’t be expected to act as health care professionals! In situations like this IME, a member of two of the office staff - whoever does the first aid will be trained, not the teacher. OP - yabu, instead of trying to punish an individual at a school you no longer have any involvement with, why not focus your energy on the future? I feel very, very sorry for the teacher, an awful situation for them.

BadNomad · 12/02/2023 09:44

If you read the other thread, it actually sounds like the teacher did give insulin or did something that the OP doesn't believe he was qualified to do. His defence is that he had training on it. A video.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General education
MichelleScarn · 12/02/2023 09:46

Nimbostratus100 · 12/02/2023 09:38

I think the OP sounds more like a distressed and frightened mother rather than a bully - I agree her expectations are unreasonable and her attitude unconstructive, but I doubt bullying is the source of this sad state of affairs

Show quote history

If the post was more about 'how can I be sure my child is safe and well?'I'd agree, but the 'bullshit'and wanting school and teacher to be held to account for 'gross misconduct' makes me agree op is a bully.

JustAnotherManicNameChange · 12/02/2023 09:50

@MichelleScarn no they can't make it mandatory but they need to ensure there is at least one member of staff that is properly trained ,available and confident to do it. I'm in primary so it wouldn't be reasonable to expect a very young child to manage it all themselves or recognise a hypo for example outside of their usual check times.

Nimbostratus100 · 12/02/2023 09:56

JustAnotherManicNameChange · 12/02/2023 09:50

@MichelleScarn no they can't make it mandatory but they need to ensure there is at least one member of staff that is properly trained ,available and confident to do it. I'm in primary so it wouldn't be reasonable to expect a very young child to manage it all themselves or recognise a hypo for example outside of their usual check times.

but this relies on a member of staff taking on the extra responsibility voluntarily, and that cannot be forced on anyone, so if no one agrees to do it, then no one agrees to do it, end of.

ManyNameChanges · 12/02/2023 09:56

MichelleScarn · 12/02/2023 09:46

If the post was more about 'how can I be sure my child is safe and well?'I'd agree, but the 'bullshit'and wanting school and teacher to be held to account for 'gross misconduct' makes me agree op is a bully.

Show quote history

Or it was a case of gross misconduct… How can you judge someone Wo knowing at all what actually went on?

Tgerexwas a story not long ago about a child with an epipen. The epipen was locked in a cupboard and unavailable when the child started to have an anaphylactic reaction.
That, for me, is gross misconduct.

So yes, the OP might or might not be over the top etc…. No one on this thread can tell.

SpringIntoChaos · 12/02/2023 10:11

This is totally standard now in teacher training OP. I'd say 95% of our courses are now online modules (ALL of which have to be completed in our own time - I've racked up 39 hours worth since September 😰)

Each time we do one, there's an assessment at the end, and if we pass, we get a certificate to print off and hand into the office.

In your case, it would seem like this is what has happened. The TA or teacher will have done the training and passed the assessment. That's it! I've got certificates in all manner of things, and would legitimately be able to claim 'I've had training in x,y and z'.

Pick your battles...this isn't one of them.

MidgeHardcastle · 12/02/2023 10:16

I can't believe diabetic training is considered ok to be done on-line! The medication and observations are child specific. A face-to-face meeting with all involved should be the minimum. I can't think what could have happened here, maybe the usual person was away?

sashh · 12/02/2023 10:23

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?

If it did it would not help your case.

What does help your case is that the teacher believed they had received training, presumably arranged by the school but as it wasn't the same as provided to other professionals who used the training as CPD.

Xol · 12/02/2023 10:25

You need to use the information you have been given. Find out what the video was, get a view from the hospital or someone who knows what they are talking about as to whether that would have been adequate to ensure that your child's needs were met and that he was kept safe. If they say it wasn't, get them to sign a statement saying that and explaining why it was inadequate; ideally, if they agree, they should say something to the effect that no reasonable school could possibly have thought it was adequate, and deal with how the deficiencies in training would have adversely affected your child. Lodge a copy of the statement with the tribunal and consider calling the person concerned as a witness.

Xol · 12/02/2023 10:27

I assume your case is against the school, not the individual teacher? I would suggest that you should not be seen to be attacking the teacher, who may have been told by the head or SENCO that the training they did was adequate; you should be using this as showing the school did not arrange the training that was actually required.

Xol · 12/02/2023 10:30

MichelleScarn · 12/02/2023 03:18

Sorry, but does that mean staff can be told that it is mandatory as a teacher that they learn to test blood sugars and give insulin like humelin IM? What if the staff dont feel confident with this task?

Show quote history

It means that, if staff don't want to do it, the school must recruit someone who is and the local authority must fund it.

Xol · 12/02/2023 10:33

MichelleScarn · 12/02/2023 09:46

If the post was more about 'how can I be sure my child is safe and well?'I'd agree, but the 'bullshit'and wanting school and teacher to be held to account for 'gross misconduct' makes me agree op is a bully.

Show quote history

Now, that really is bullshit. OP is in the situation where it appears her child has been the victim of disability discrimination. If the school won't give staff adequate training to ensure her child is safe and well, is she supposed to shrug her shoulders and say "Oh well, child must put up with it, god forbid that the school be required to comply with its statutory duties"? If the school won't do its job, the tribunal has power to order it to put appropriate training in place.

echt · 12/02/2023 10:38

MidgeHardcastle · 12/02/2023 10:16

I can't believe diabetic training is considered ok to be done on-line! The medication and observations are child specific. A face-to-face meeting with all involved should be the minimum. I can't think what could have happened here, maybe the usual person was away?

All involved would mean every single member of staff in the school, not only the teacher. Repeated every year for new staff.

I am not suggesting one's child life isn't worth it, just what the cost is. When dozy fuckers queue up to say how teacher have it easy

JustAnotherManicNameChange · 12/02/2023 10:59

If the post was more about 'how can I be sure my child is safe and well?'I'd agree, but the 'bullshit'and wanting school and teacher to be held to account for 'gross misconduct' makes me agree op is a bully.

Without knowing what happened, we can't decide whether it was gross misconduct or not. If OP's child's education or health (or both) were put at risk she has every reason to be worried and angry. That does not make her a bully.

Sometimes schools do fuck up , it doesn't do anyone any favours to pretend they don't.

Nimbostratus100 · 12/02/2023 11:03

MidgeHardcastle · 12/02/2023 10:16

I can't believe diabetic training is considered ok to be done on-line! The medication and observations are child specific. A face-to-face meeting with all involved should be the minimum. I can't think what could have happened here, maybe the usual person was away?

haha! I cant believe you think schools generally have a "usual person" - you are living on a different planet

TulipsLilacs · 12/02/2023 11:24

Tippexy · 12/02/2023 00:55

Wow, a very informative posting history.

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Op has put a post on reddit "Illegal life pro tips" forum with the title
"What havoc can I cause someone via their home address ilpt"

LavenderHillMob · 12/02/2023 11:33

I'm extrapolating here, but I wonder if the Teacher administered insulin to a child with low blood sugar, causing their blood sugar to fall further? Potentially a serious, possibly fatal situation.

As an experienced nurse, I check patient's blood sugar levels and other symptoms, administer insulin according to their prescribed regime and give general health advice. The regime is decided upon by experts because I don't have the specialist expertise to do it. No way on earth do I think its reasonable for a Teacher to do this.

If so, what was needed was for the school recognise the symptoms and call 999/the parents.

It's an awful situation and a scary one for parents to find themselves in. Keeping children safe requires realistic care plans though.

If the system expects a Teacher to deliver care that a qualified health professional would need to do additional post graduate training to do, then the system is very wrong.

TakeNoTweetsGiveNoQuacks · 12/02/2023 11:34

TulipsLilacs · 12/02/2023 11:24

Op has put a post on reddit "Illegal life pro tips" forum with the title
"What havoc can I cause someone via their home address ilpt"

Show quote history

That thread is horrendous. Wtf is wrong with people? Reddit is such a cesspit

TugboatAnnie · 12/02/2023 11:46

@Nimbostratus100 Of course there's a usual person! You can't just have anyone rock up and do a child's bloods. Certainly not in any schools I've worked in or been into.

Nimbostratus100 · 12/02/2023 11:52

TugboatAnnie · 12/02/2023 11:46

@Nimbostratus100 Of course there's a usual person! You can't just have anyone rock up and do a child's bloods. Certainly not in any schools I've worked in or been into.

no, no "usual person" in my school or any school I have ever been in

donquixotedelamancha · 12/02/2023 11:55

OP is in the situation where it appears her child has been the victim of disability discrimination.

Am I being thick because I can't actually see any evidence to support this suggestion, even from the OP's own words?

It might be the case but I can't work out exactly what it is the OP wants, that the school isn't doing.

I also don't know whether it's a reasonable adjustment to expect the school to administer medication if that is what OP wants. If there is no funding for this then I'm pretty sure the school doesn't have to provide something so specialist.

I don't see how anyone knows enough to be so strident that the school or OP are in the wrong.

Abraxan · 12/02/2023 11:56

PriamFarrl · 12/02/2023 09:26

We have a child with diabetes in my primary school. Our office staff are trained up to test his blood sugars etc. This means that there is consistency in his care and it’s not being done by someone who also has 29 other children in the room.

My training for a child with diabetes was the school nurse coming in and showing me how to test and inject one lunch time, with the child present. Took about 10 minutes and it was then classed as being able to do this child's testing and insulation injection where required.
I feel lucky there was never an issue.

SkivingSnackboxes · 12/02/2023 12:02

The ops posting history on Reddit is shocking.