teachers & confidentiality

[pinkbabytots]

Are teachers allow to discuss pupils progress outside of school? For example, a teacher at my sons school bumped into his father in a pub. Now bearing in mind, my sons father has not seen my son for over 10 years. Furthermore, he has never had any involvement with the school and so they would not know him. Anyhow, this particular teacher got chatting to my sons father in a pub and proceeded to discuss my son's progress at school. Is this not a breach of confidentiality? Also, the teacher had no evidence at all that she was in fact speaking to the father of my son!! This has caused no end of problems between me, my son and his father. Just to give you a little bit of background, my sons father has only got a court order for 'indirect contact' due to his violent past behaviour.

Thanks in advance

[mrs_overall]

I can understand why you are feeling aggrieved but the teacher has not broken any rules, unless you have specifically insisted on your son's school file that there is to be no contact with or information passed to your ex.

If you feel so strongly about this, contact the school and ask for your son's file to be amended.

Obviously I don't know the ins and outs of the court order but I should imagine that your ex still retains some parental responsibilty.

Don't be too hard on the teacher, he probably was unaware of all the details of your circumstances.

[missrandom]

I dont think you can stop the school talking to the boys father, unless there is a court order. I used to be a childminder and am now a teaching assistant, and I remember at college we were told that even if one parent says the other parent isnt allowed to collect the child, unless there is a court order saying so, you have to let the child go with them. My point being that I would imagine its the same for schools speaking with a parent.
I dont think the head would be happy with the teacher discussing it in a pub though!

[mrs_overall]

I must add that I live in the sticks where everyone knows everyone else, and I often chat to the teachers of my kids in the pub!

[missrandom]

btw how do you have 'indirect contact' with someone? lol

[Lil O'lady]

Sorry to be the voice of dissent, but I do not think a teacher should discuss a named pupil outside the school with anyone, let alone someone whose identity you are not sure of. Teachers are privy to all sorts of information some of which is very sensitive. Moreover, in a pub they should be drinking and enjoying themselves. Not discussing work. If you know the teacher well enough, I would approach him via an after-school 5 min appointment and explain the problem he has caused. He will doubtless be mortified and never fall for the same mistake again. If you do not know him well enough to do this, I would take a similar tack with his line manager eg head of year or head teacher, not to be nasty and dob him in it but because he needs to know the consequences, and to learn to do what grown-up eachers do - keep shtumm, use nicknames if in public and above all switch off from work.

[happy_face]

if the student is under 18 teachers are allowed to discuss anything with the parents. Once 18 they can't unless the student agrees.

[Lil O'lady]

The point is, this teacher was not on official business and had no real proof that the man he was talking to had any legitimate claim on the child.

[pinkbabytots]

I agree with Lil O'Lady, the teacher could have been talking to anyone. I think it's so very wrong.

[erikko]

I think that's inappropriate in their profession if they will discuss that outside of school

Google

[factor-fiction]

Hello erikko- why the link to the google home page?