to think it's quite concerning how 19 year olds have such easy access of 11 year olds in a school setting?

[Zootopials]

Most schools in this area have a sixth form and there is no separate building. These sixth formers often do 1-1 reading etc with the Year 7s. AIBU to think it's a bit concerning??

[ailPartout]

madein1995

Really? This sounds entirely implausible.

[BoyFromTheBigBadCity]

I did peer mentoring when I was in year 13 (2008/2009). So a sixth former sat in a corner of the library and if anyone wanted they could come and talk to you - it was a step below going to the teachers, all informal etc. We got a whole day of training about safeguarding, what you could or couldn't say, how to handle situations, what to report to a teacher etc. It was all done to a high standard. You also had to apply and the teachers at school chose who was suitable.

Yabu. But I understand if your dc is 11 and in year 7 then a 18 yo seems on such a different level. But they're doing a good thing - schools need their 6th formers to get involved to be able to run stuff beyond the bare minimum ime.

[NewNNfor2017]

The fact that schools already have procedures in place means they take it seriously, too.

Well, that's the point though, isn't it? Schools do have procedures in place - the OP is implying that schools are placing DCs ar risk and that she knows better than the people she has entrusted to educate her DC.

She doesn't have a legitimate concern - but in this post-truth world, no one accepts facts, it's all about the feelz as my teen DD would say.

[PunkrockerGirl]

What an utterly depressing and ridiculous post OP
This
I'm assuming that you meant it was the 19 year old sixth form girls who are a risk and should be checked as well as the boys - you didn't specify studiously avoided the subject in your OP.
Or are you running true to mn form whereby the girls can do no wrong and the boys are all potential perverts/rapists?

[RufusTheSpartacusReindeer]

I am fairly positive that people have a dbs check for reading in our local infants

In that case i understand where yiu are coming from with reference to 18 and 19 year olds

I suppose it must also depend on the school, maybe not every school requires it for reading

[Bitofacow]

When your DC go to other people's houses how do you know who is there? Their friends might have older siblings who are best friends with perverts of all types.
Friends parents, step parents, aunties, uncles, neighbours might all be potential abusers.

[SquinkiesRule]

I think YABU, the y7 kids look up to the 6th formers, one month into high school Dd went on a three night residential trip, the 6th formers went with them to help out and show them the ropes. It was great.

[Mehfruittea]

I have not RTFT.

If any student is arrested and charged with a crime, won't their school be informed? If under 18 the probation team involve the school, I'm pretty sure. Happy to be corrected though!

[Gallavich]

Do you really think that 6th formers could possibly have serious criminal records that their schools don't know about? The only offences that would preclude 1:1 with children would be sexual or violent offences. Which the school would be aware of. And would risk asses and manage (probably by not allowing that student to do the 1:1). So a DBS would tell them nothing they don't already know.

[NewNNfor2017]

I suppose it must also depend on the school, maybe not every school requires it for reading

No, it doesn't depend on the school. Regular volunteering in any school is deemed a "Restricted activity" and everyone who does restricted activities must be subject to a DBS check.
Some schools and youth groups abused the CRB system and were carrying out background checks on any adult who entered the school even to do a one off talk, so the law was changed to prevent that happening.

However, pupils do not need to be DBS'd as they are not volunteers and the school will have confidential safeguarding files on each pupil on their role, which transfers from school to school, and would include details of any relevant convictions. So the only pupils the school would not have a history on is those who have joined at the age of 18/19.

[BackforGood]

I'm afraid I cba to read every post, but OP, yes, YABVU.
Also, most 6th formers leave at 18 not that it makes much difference.

[RufusTheSpartacusReindeer]

new

No need to sigh at me!!

I said that our school do dbs checks for reading

I am not about to call anyone on the thread a liar if they say their school doesnt do checks for reading

[elliejjtiny]

I was 19 for just over 2 months in secondary school (may birthday). All the 6th formers had to do an hour of community service a week to help the school like being a prefect, helping with fundraising, working on the school newspaper or listening to the younger children read who were struggling. I did the reading. There were about 20 year 7/8's, 20 6th formers and 2 teaching assistants supervising. It was lovely. The little boy I listened to got an award for progress in English a few years later and I was really proud that i'd helped him a little bit to get there.

Mostly the 6th formers ignored the year 7's. Some of the older boys would beat up the odd younger one when provoked though, I would be more worried about that than anything sexual to be honest.

[madein1995]

Yes, I was CRB checked. So were all the other volunteers in sixth form (the Ti a Fi counselling, the Pyramid scheme etc). Admittedly we had to do 30 hours helping out in a term and we weren't CRB'd for that - but we were under extremely close supervision by the classroom teacher. I did help out in clubs in year 11 - but I think the reason volunteers got CRB checked in sixth form was because we were over 16 and this altered things somehow? I don't think it's neccesarily a case of the OP being too overcautious or worrying too much. Yes it's not a case of the danger is more than it used to be (it's just reported more) but when it comes to safeguarding I don't think you can be too careful.

And the fact remains that a 19 year old is an adult (indeed, even though at 16 you're not an adult you're not a child in the same way a 16 year old is - you're able to consent to sex for a start which is why I think DBS after 16 is a good idea) and whether that 19 yo adult is out at work, or is in school, they are an adult and if they come into contact with children on a regular basis they are adults who work with children. And in my mind any adult who works with children should be subject to DBS checks. They are hardly intrusive, they are better than nothing, and let us not forget the tragic, horrific cases that have brought about these changes in safeguarding and the DBS system. Of course abusers by nature are sly and clever and in that regard, some do slip through the net. But a DBS system is better than none at all. I'm not saying it means that no abuser will ever get to work with children - because no system is perfect, and as I say abusers are sly bastards - but it will stop some and it's better than nothing at all. I think any school that allows pupils past 16 (but DEFINITELY past 18) to work regularly with a group of younger children without any kind of checks is failing their duty of care and probably in breach of their safeguarding policy.

[Gallavich]

Why are we talking about 19 year olds in schools anyway? Year 13 is 17-18. 19 year olds if they are doing retakes tend to be in 6th form colleges or FE colleges, not schools.

[PossumInAPearTree]

Not true. There is a 21yo in dds school in the sixth form. Not just for exams but actually enrolled and there all year.

[TheFairyCaravan]

How the fuck do people cope everyday with this level of paranoia?

[Servicesupportforall]

All my children attended middle schools here in the U.K.

[NewNNfor2017]

you're able to consent to sex for a start which is why I think DBS after 16 is a good idea

A DBS is a report of criminal convictions. It's nothing to do with sex

The convictions of a 16 year old who has been in the school system will be in their Child Protection file which is shared between schools.
What exactly will a DBS check achieve - other than additional cost and delay?

[noblegiraffe]

You don't think schools are automatically told if one of their students is a sex offender?

[Gallavich]

you're able to consent to sex for a start which is why I think DBS after 16 is a good idea

What the fuck kind of logic is that?

[NewNNfor2017]

Post-truth logic gallavich

[dollydaydream114]

I strongly suspect that an 11 year old is far more likely to be assaulted by a pupil their own age than they are by a sixth-former. Are you going to demand that children the same age aren't allowed to be in a room alone together?

My siblings are 10 and 7 years older than me. Do you think I shouldn't have been allowed in a room alone with them when I was 11? Because again, it's far more likely that an 11 year old will be assaulted by a family member. How about your children's father, or your parents, or your siblings? Have you had them checked by the police? Again, statistically far more likely that your child will be harmed by one of them.

My sister was engaged by the time I was 11 and sometimes her fiancé would give me a lift home if he happened to pass me as he was driving back from work. Should I have refused on the grounds that I shouldn't have been allowed in a car with an adult?

I absolutely cannot imagine being this paranoid. I cannot. This is next-level absurdity.

[teaandakitkat]

YABU.
I have never worried about anything like this ever.
This thread is really depressing.

[RufusTheSpartacusReindeer]

I just think its a bit of a (very small and probably rare) anomaly

An adult needs a dbs check

Except if they are in 6th form

Completely agree that is is probably rare that a student starts in a 6th form attached to a school at the age of 18...but it does happen

I dont think for one minute that there is an added danger to the smaller children, but all other adults are checked why not this one

(Disclaimer...some colleges may have something like this set up anyway, as some courses involve looking after babies and nursery age children)

But i have no idea so nobody sigh at me !!