To report a teacher for having an affair with a 16 year old girl 25 years ago?

[jesusperezwept]

The reason I ask is because said teacher is currently going through a misconduct hearing regarding inappropriate relations with another girl at a different school in the same decade as the "affair" at my school. This man is high up the food chain. I have no proof of the relationship, it was just common knowledge. Should I say something to the local council or say nothing?

You have no proof and it's none of your business.

I’m not sure that 25 years ago having an affair with a 16 year old girl was a problem.

I don’t know how far you’d get with no proof.

Report it and let them investigate.

Back in the 80's a girl in the sixth form with me was seeing the Biology teacher. They ended up married not long after she left school. No-one batted an eyelid really to be honest. we were all invited to the wedding !

Totally normal 25 years ago. I don't think that makes it right but it was commonplace in my school.

Mmmmmmm. I think if both “affairs” were of the same decade, I probably would. Are you still in touch with person you knew?

My ex cheated on me with one of his pupils about 16 years ago. I reported it to the police (along with evidence) and they said it was fine as her parents didn’t mind. They are married now, but I think things were different even as short a time ago as that.

Well exactly, @noblegiraffe - we just shrugged our shoulders and that was that. However, the tribunal is regarding his actions before he came to my school. He was in his 20s then - do men like this really have a moral epiphany when they hit middle age?

Without any evidence ('common knowledge is not evidence') it may be hard to prove- are you 100% sure it was truth? Or did you just hear it though the grapevine? I know of two teachers who were accused of inappropriate conduct by students (in one case, by two students who were friends) and in both cases these turned out to be made up claims, which had a devastating effects, so I think claims like these should not be taken lightly. Knowing there is now an ongoing investigation, something may be up there, but maybe see if you can get something more concrete than 'everyone knew'...?

Happened in my school too in the 80's. He carried on teaching there for many years. They got married and had a family, are still together as far as I know. I don't think it was frowned on then.

My sister went out with her German A levels teacher in the mid 90s and it certainly wasn't ok. He was asked to leave the school and really struggled to get another job.

I don't have evidence and although I could get in touch with the girl, now woman, that he had the affair with, I don't think it would be fair on her.

If it were a rumour, then say nothing. Chances are, if it were common knowledge, then maybe someone would have said something.

If you want to do anything, then perhaps contact the girl and mention it to her. She can then decide whether to take it further.

This case won’t go anywhere unless it was rape. It has always legal to have sex with 16 yo’s and the safeguarding rules about teachers / students is new. Back in the eighties (and even up to mid-nineties) some 16 yo’s were actually encouraged by their parents to hook up with / find a student teacher to marry.

Rumour

It was not ok 25 years ago!

I would report what you know @jesusperezwept

Sometimes corroboration to support a case can really help and whilst you don't have direct knowledge of what happened it might help build a picture.

The age of consent for teachers and pupils 25 years ago was 16. It only changed to 18 for adults in a position of trust in Jan 2001.

You have no proof and it's none of your business.

The none of your business part of this comment is odd - of course it's your business if a teacher is abusing his potion of authority and taking advantage of students. That said I agree with the bit about no proof - I'm not sure that what will effectively come across as gossip from 25 years ago will add much to the case. I guess you could report it and they're free to investigate or ignore.

I do agree though that it seemed to be the norm. Even 15 years ago when I was at school there was an English teacher who was very "close" to a 16 year old student. They'd spend all lunch time sitting on a bench together and meet up outside of school. If anyone asked her if they were together she'd just giggle. I'm sure a teacher wouldn't get away with that now but at the time they didn't even bother hiding it.

Absolutely not.

well it was frowned upon 35 yrs ago so not sure where you lot went to school.

If you have a name I would pass the information along - then its up to them what they do with it.

Well-known in my school, so long as it was sixth-formers, roughly in the same era. Teacher was told to take care, nothing further. Not hearsay in my case...well, it was but off the teacher concerned...

25 years ago one of our teachers was dismissed in disgrace, and there was an attempt at prosecution, despite his defence that "I always waited for their 16th birthday.

It wasn't fine.

Thanks all for your comments. I think I'll get a message to the lady in question and go from there.

It's not fine - even 25 years ago. It's an abuse of trust even if 16 years old. I would report it - the fact he's facing misconduct probably means he's been doing it a long while.