To ask for help in how to address this with school?

[pervyteacher]

Dd (18) is in her 2nd year of sixth form. Last year when she was 17, an issue arose with a male teacher whose behaviour was highlighted as inappropriate with female pupils, one of whom was my daughter. He had been taking selfies on their phones and sending them links to inappropriate things on social media (I don't know the details as my daughter wasn't involved in the latter, but he did use her phone to take weird selfies). Anyway, at the time I spoke with the school's safeguarding lead who assured me that they were dealing with it and it was referred to the police. The teacher was not suspended and my daughter told me that, while she still saw him occasionally around the school, he'd been advised by the safeguarding lead in no uncertain terms not to have any contact with her.

Today my daughter called me at work upset, saying she had seen him and he had asked her to "meet him in a classroom for a chat". She made and excuse and scarpered with her friend. Later in one of her classes she said she saw him hanging around outside the door looking in, which she assumed was for her. She later left her lesson and said she got herself out of the school as quickly as possible to avoid him, and came home.

I'm really angry that she's being made to feel this way, and although it doesn't seem he's done anything that constitutes a criminal offence and is clearly still employed, I do not think he should be lurking around my daughter making her feel this way.

Before I call the school with all guns blazing, how would you handle this? AIBU to be angry, or do I need to let my now adult daughter handle this? She's only very recently turned 18 if that's relevant.

It doesn't matter that your daughter is 18 - this is a 6th form college, as a parent you are allowed to get involved. This sounds absolutely outrageous. Why is he still there? Absolutely right for you to contact the college.

By all means call the school all guns blazing. Go straight to the safeguarding lead and copy in the head teacher/education trust/governers.

This is massively unacceptable behaviour. She may be 18 but she is still a student in an institution where he is in a position of authority.
He should not be contacting her and asking to meet in private. This is not allowed and will be against teachers registering body regulations and school policy as well I would expect.

Sorry just re-read your post, school not college.

Yes it's a sixth form centre attached to a secondary school.

Do you think a strongly worded email is the way to go? I want a paper trail of this.

I'd even be inclined to get the police involved. The audacity of that behaviour in public I dread to think what might be going on behind closed doors

Yeah, go all guns blazing.

This is not okay, never should have happened in the first place and he certainly shouldn't still be putting her in a position where she is feeling uncomfortable. He should not be allowed to be alone with your daughter, in a classroom or anywhere else.

What angered me most was that she felt the need to get away from the place as quickly as possible so she didn't have to face him, she shouldn't be made to feel that way! She's under enough pressure as it is with the workload and doing her A levels, this is totally unacceptable. I'm so angry.

OP, this is one of the only times I'd say, especially on Mumsnet, that yes indeed you can go in all guns blazing.
How totally unacceptable that this teacher thought it would be to speak to your daughter after all this had gone on.
And why her in particular? Does he even teach her now?

I would go over what happened very calmly with your daughter, so you have the full facts.Then reassure her this is wrong, she is a schoolgirl and her attention at school should be entirely on her academic development, plans for the future and her social life with friends. She should be shouldn't have to deal with it, your job is to protect her and you will handle it. But if she wants to attend a meeting or write an email, I'd support her in that and go over the details with her, keeping them factual and specific.

I'd then ask for an urgent meeting with the head, HoY, form tutor and safeguarding team and go over everything she told you. Tell them he is clearly incapable to sticking to the rules they have set and you will take it up with the governors and possibly the police if he doesn't stop harassing her. I would not leave the meeting until they promise to take action immediate action that you think is appropriate. Record the meeting and ask them to send you an email outlining their promise while you are in the room. Or you send them one while you are sitting there, outlining their promises and the scheduled deadlines for implementing them.

I would call them and insist on a meeting AND send an e-mail to back it up and for a paper trail.

Phone call followed up by an email

Doesn't matter if she's 18 and in sixth form or 20 and in university, he is in a position of authority over her in an educational setting and this is inappropriate and gross misconduct.

I don't know why her in particular, no he doesn't teach her now. He last taught her in year 11, she's year 13 now.

My temptation was to go all guns blazing but I had to remind myself that she's and adult so I didn't know if that was overstepping? But when she's calling me at work upset and anxious, that's my business surely?

Email a complaint to safeguard lead, cc in headteacher, chair of governors, head of sixth form.

Have it all written in a clear order. State witnesses of her friends were with her. State times it happened.

I'd question whether anything was actually referred to the police if the staff member wasn't ever sent home pending investigation, so would reference that concern in the email, if the safeguarding lead said that had happened

I also asked asked her if she wanted me to contact the school and she said yes. So she clearly feels out of her depth bless her. I'm just so angry I needed to ask whether my anger is clouding my rational brain, but it seems not from these responses.

Would contacting the teacher directly and telling him to keep away from her be appropriate??

I would call the local safeguarding team - if you google your area +safeguarding, you’ll be able to speak with them tomorrow.

school clearly are not capable of dealing with this effectively.

Thanks. Sorry if this is a stupid question but do you mean the local authority safeguarding team?

No don't do that. Go above him, don't go to him.

He needs to be dealt with properly.

Seconding the advice to go in all guns blazing on this one.

Email to safeguarding lead at school (should be on the website) copying the safeguarding team at the council, imo, to insist on a meeting.

Honestly a call first thing asking for a meeting with head of sixth form and DSL is what I'd be doing.

He's had a warning and because he's got away with it, it makes me worry that he's ramping things up. I'd err on the side of caution because frankly these things do happen and his behaviour is very off.

No

It almost seems like he might enjoy that attention and also give him time to come up with a plausible excuse before management talk to him.

I am a former teacher and there is just never a situation where I am going to go up to a child and ask them to meet me 'for a chat,' in a classroom or any other variation.

My year 11s would sometimes come and work with me, or see me at lunch, but that was a class-wide suggestion, and the doors were open/more than one of them etc.

Or sometimes I might unexpectedly end up with an upset/stressed child and need to help them/talk to them away from anyone, but again, professional measures taken and straight after it goes to the safeguarding team or whatever action I needed to take so there is a clear record.

Whatever is happening with his teaching/interactions outside of the classroom, perhaps get your DD to make a factual timeline/what was said, so you are clear on all the points of concern. It sounds like you have good ideas and are taking action to show the urgent need for escalation.

This is a time you want to follow processes put in place as much as possible.

Most schools/sixth forms will have a very clear safeguarding policy which tells you who to raise concerns with. Usually if it is a staff member the concern goes straight to the head. I would call in the morning and ask to speak to the head (or whoever your policy states should be informed when the concern is a staff member) as a matter of urgency. Have a call with them and follow up with an email.

However if you have no faith that they will deal with this appropriately as they have already had concerns raised about this member of staff and nothing seems to have been done, then I would go straight to the local authority LADO whose role it is to look into it further. This is the escalation you need if you feel you are not being taken seriously.