Aberdeen City Council Discontinues Teacher Whistleblowing Form After Single Use

Aberdeen City Council has discontinued a whistleblowing form designed for teachers to report violent incidents involving students in educational institutions. The council had implemented these forms in March, following complaints from staff members who felt discouraged from reporting such occurrences. However, it subsequently became apparent that the form had been utilized only a single time. According to a report scheduled for the local authority’s education committee next week, this decision stems from a policy review. The EIS teaching union expressed no surprise regarding the withdrawal of this measure. The EIS stated that, since the form’s inception, it had concerns that trade unions were circumvented in the reporting process. Additionally, the union noted that some educators were apprehensive about potential identification. The council had announced the whistleblowing form following an EIS report, released in February, which drew attention to violent student behavior within the city’s schools. This report indicated that teachers were allegedly being encouraged to refrain from reporting incidents in an effort to reduce exclusions. Some teachers reported feeling traumatized, fearing for their safety, and being afraid to attend work due to increasing student violence. Ron Constable, the branch secretary of the EIS, conveyed that he was not surprised by the form’s removal. He informed BBC Scotland News: “The EIS thought this was a totally inadequate form for reporting incident.” “It bypassed the trade unions completely and, while it gave the council the chance to hear the thoughts of teachers, there were concerns – especially in smaller schools – about being identified.” The documents for the education committee indicate: “The whistleblowing form was only used once, and the staff member was happy for no further action following a discussion with the chief officer education and lifelong learning.” They further state: “Due to the fact it was not accessed regularly there was agreement between all stakeholders that it could be removed.” The papers also add: “The review of the whistleblowing policy has taken place and the decision has been made to stand down the form.” Councillor Martin Greig, the convener of the education committee, told BBC Scotland News: “I understand that the form has been used once in the last six months or so and its value is being questioned.” He continued: “We need to keep on considering what is the best way to ensure that teachers and staff at the front line have maximum opportunities for raising concerns.” He emphasized: “They need to be able to record incidents as swiftly and as efficiently as possible.” He clarified: “We need to make the process more accessible and easier so that we are gathering all the information from those who are experiencing it first-hand.” He mentioned that the whistleblowing form had supplemented other implemented measures, such as the adoption of a behavior action plan. He further added: “We have a very detailed set of actions in Aberdeen, where we have created opportunities to improve relationships within schools.” He concluded: “We are on a learning journey, and we need to be honest and open, share our thoughts, and do our best to move things forward.” An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson stated: “We are unable to comment ahead of committee meeting next week.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.