Bad rumours at work (in a school)

[TheStandardLife]

There's a bad rumour going around between staff that the nastiest teacher and I means she really is something, likes to look up other teachers, TA's and even PARENTS GCSE results and qualifications.

This cannot be true surely? I've never heard of some kind of database accessible where this could be held, bearing in mind most people's results would have been from 20+ years ago.

If she is doing it, and there is such a thing that's an invasion of privacy to some degree?

I understand all of our results could be on job websites from our CV'S or LinkedIn ect but if its true I think its very very wrong to just do it for "fun" and also just odd.

If she has access to the LRS (learning records service) via the school - maybe she works with exams or used to work in the office etc - then yes she can look up qualifications.

It can't remember how far back the records go but yeah, it's not a terribly exciting read and she sounds like a bit of a twit for doing it.

Maybe the rumour is just that and those spreading it are trying to get her into trouble. If she's as bad as you say she is that is quite possible

Does anyone honestly care about someone else’s O level results from decades ago (mine were taken in 1960!).

It's just a rumour. I don't believe she is looking them up on some kind of database.
She might be looking people up on linkedin and commenting on what she has found there and that's how the rumour has started.
Anyway, if she is doing that, it's a bit weird, especially if she's telling other people about what she's found there. However, what difference does it actually make to you? It's not affecting you.
If you have hard evidence she has accessed some kind of fictional database and has been telling others things about parents' or teachers' qualifications, then you should report it to the head. Otherwise just ignore it.

There is a national database called GIAP (Get information About Pupils) that holds historic pupil attainment data. Not sure how far back it goes back, never need to back further than 10 years.

You can only access data about pupils that are within the age range for your organisation. Those that are outside will show up, but the details are xxxxxxxxxxx out. It also only produces an xls or csv file with the academic year, keystage, name and SATS levels if available (plus a couple of demographic details such as the first language, ethnicity code, the DfE number of the school that submitted those details on census, FSM status...).

It gives absolutely zero information about adults or even children that aren't exactly the appropriate age to be attending the school.

The information is either publicly available or it's not. Maybe the school has teachers' degree and awarding university on the staff list. Other than that, no of course she doesn’t have access to some special database. Big fuss about nothing, and probably just gossip.

There's dire warnings all over the LRS about looking up people you're not supposed to

They appeared during the time there was all that hoo-ha about Hancock's A Levels

So I expect some naughty school staff had been trying to access info. Sadly for them it doesn't go back far enough 😂

Funny thing was I'm in a couple of Facebook groups linked to my job and when these warnings suddenly appeared we all had a good laugh. It hadn't occurred to any of us to be nosy. Clearly too honest for our own good.

This is hilarious, if true. Highly unlikely it is. What on earth would you do? Blackmail fellow teachers with GCSE results from decades ago. I mean I tell everybody it comes up with what a poor student I was!

The really worrying thing about all this is that anyone thinks some exams at 16, that passing are highly dependent on your family socio economic grouping, have anything to do with how intelligent you are as an adult. And you say they are in a senior position.

I'm worried about the idea that people believe such rumours when it isn't possible to do it in the first place.

We use this too to check qualifications for apprentices who can't find their GCSE certificates.

You don't use SIMS. You use the LRS.

Once more for those who haven't noticed, this only carries data from 2012 onwards, so is absolutely useless for almost everybody born before 1996.

And just to add our apprentices are not just school leavers (who are more likely to have their certificates)we have many in their 30's and 40's.

Sounds like people have got it in for this teacher. In what way is she nasty? Is she intelligent and good at her job?

Your can still only use SIMS (or Arbor/Iris/Scholarpack/Bromcom etc etc) to look up pupils who have attended your own school

Only LRS will let you look up anyone (assuming they have quals from the last 10 years and you know the relevant unique ID)

However unpleasant this person is, other staff spreading rumours and gossiping behind her back sounds like bullying to me.

Especially as the rumour could get her in serious trouble at work.

Some Educational establishments, can look up Learners records, we do as part of our job, but as a previous poster said, we have to be given permission ( written, signed and dated on a form) by the Learner, so it’s not inconceivable that this person has the same access and is abusing it
It would be huge transgression to access records without permission.

But as someone said records only go to 2012, and even then, they are often very inaccurate

You sound like a dim and very gullible gossip.

What a boring life she must lead. And, why would you care?

Why would this matter even if she was? Surely if anything it's just a sign that she hasn't got an awful lot going on - it's very dull information (if she can even access it at all for the mostpart, which she can't unless someone has already published it on their linkedin etc) and isn't something that anything - let alone anything interesting or worthwhile could be done with even if she had.

Genuinely can't imagine sitting gossiping about this at work even, it's that much of a non issue, and so daft.

Are there also 'bad' rumours going around about someone posting on public forums online about 'nasty' teachers everyone hates at work?

I'd just ignore it and stop propagating it. I

I am trying to get copies of my GcSE and A Level certs from 25 years ago and can’t get them - the school says I need to pay every exam board to search for them. So there is most definitely not a database like this.

There is a database. It is not fictional. Every exams officer in the country is familiar with it.

But it does not have all the records since time began.

You can only access the records if you are working for a school or similar and then only a few people in the school have access - other staff probably won't even know about it.

If you are a member of the general public and you want copies of your certificates then you go to the exam board.

Employers also can not access this database.

This is honestly the world's most boring gossip.

The database exists. I have used it. I have an active log in for it.

But I can't obtain exam certificates from it. And I can't look up qualifications from more than ten years ago.

Your school is correct, you need to contact exam boards.

I lost my certificates too and had to spend a fortune replacing them