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Sunday 18 August 2013

The Strange Scotsman (Part the Last)



The whole sorry saga of the Strange Scotsman is winding down.


After the revelations from my contacts in the Army and in Scotland, it was pretty obvious that JV was not a bloke to be trusted, and especially not to be trusted around children.

There was a couple of closing paragraphs of the outcome and recommendations from the GTC hearing.

The Panel found that the Respondent’s conduct is fundamentally incompatible with being a registered teacher and the Panel directed in terms of Rule 3.11.1 that the Respondent’s name shall be removed from the Register. Once the Respondent has been removed from the Register, the Respondent remains so removed unless and until an application for re-registration is made by him and a Fitness to Teach Panel directs that the application be granted. The Panel directed that the Respondent should be prohibited from making an application for re-registration for a period of 2 years from the date of removal.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
 
The Panel decided to exercise its discretion to make a referral under Section 8 of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 in order that Scottish Ministers may consider whether or not the Respondent should be barred from working with children and protected adults. The Panel decided to do so because it considered that a referral ground set out in section 2 of that Act is met. The conduct which the Panel found proved demonstrated that children had been harmed and placed at risk of harm.


The last bit is unusual, and is only added if the investigating panel has some serious concerns for children's safety.  It's one step down from going onto the sex-offenders register.
 
But some do...so remain scared.




But one thing worried me.

Actually I lie.

Many things worry me.

I've got a list:


  1. Global Warming
  2. Global Cooling
  3. Global I don't know what the f*ck is happening
  4. My Beloved's daytime activities when I don't know what she's doing
  5. My Beloved's evening activities when I know what she's doing and it's telling me what to do NOW.(Normally some sort of activity closely allied to cleaning)
  6. 10DK
  7. Constipation
  8. Prostrate
  9. Is it Prostate or Prostrate?
  10. Swimming in a Public Pool
  11. My Beloved in (supposedly) charge of a motorised vehicle
  12. My Beloved in (supposedly) charge of a Tricycle
  13. Flying (it's illogical, why does it work)
  14. Atheism (it's logical, why don't more people appreciate the truth)
  15. God-Botherers
  16. Novopay (The organisation devoted to screwing up teachers' pay in general, and truly obsessed with screwing up my pay.  It's been 8 bloody months guys, how can you still be getting it wrong?)

Anyway, my immediate worry (apart from 4) was how in all the Hells of the Disembowelled Pseudogods from Lovecraft's Demented Imagination did JV acquire NZTC Registration?

 I had a Professional duty to inform them of my discoveries, and an even greater keenness to cover my posterior, in case anything untoward was discovered about JV's behaviour whilst he was under our employ.


So I phoned the NZTC.  The following conversation is paraphrased, and names have been changed to protect the devious.
I'm a Professional... we're here to protect you

Me: "Hello, this is TSB from  Nuova Lazio High School", "Is that the New Zealand Teaching Council?" "

NZTC: "Probably", "What do you want?"

Me: "I've got a bit of a problem with a registered teacher who I suspect of being a bit dodgy"

NZTC: "Are you talking about yourself?"

Me: "NO!!"

NZTC: "Is it Richard of RBB?" "Or anyone else in the Drama/Art department?"


Me: "No, nothing like that" ... "Why do you ask about them?"
NZTC: "Let's just say that NLHS has a certain reputation, especially in the Art faculty"

Me: "No, it's a relief teacher I'm using." "He's got NZTC registration" "I've seen his registration card and checked on your website, and he seems legit"

NZTC: "So what's the problem?"

Me: "I think he's been in trouble in the UK, and I want to check he's OK to use before I have him back in school again"

NZTC: "Well you can give me his registration number and I'll check", "but we do really exhaustive checks before issuing registration you know?"

Me: "I know, I've been through it 11 years ago when I arrived in NZ, but this bloke seems dodgy"

NZTC: "It will take me a couple of minutes to check, please hold"...

While I was waiting for their response I dealt with the few issues that had cropped up whilst I was on the phone.
SEE  Lack of ties can destroy civilization as we know it.

Gave an excuse note to a pupil who had forgotten her tie. (first time)
Told a recidivist tie-dodger to go home and get his bloody tie (23 previous incidents)
Told an irritating teacher to f*ck off, I was busy (No, I made that part up...I asked them to come back in 10 minutes.  I hate being rude.)

NZTC: "Hello, TSB, are you still there?"

Me: "Yes thanks" "Do you have any more information on JV?"
NZTC: "Yes, we know about JV's history, he's explained all his little problems to us, and he's OK to teach in NZ"

Little Problems?


Me: *long silence*............ "Little problems?"

NZTC: "Yes, there's no real issue" "Is that all?"

Me: (In very restrained but slightly squeaky with indignation and incredulity voice) "You do know he's been struck off the Teaching Register in Scotland for 11 counts of professional misconduct?", "Including grabbing a boy between his legs and hoisting him over his shoulder?"

NZTC: *long silence*............ "What?

What?


Me: "I believe that JV has been struck off the Scottish Teaching register, and I've got the on-line report of the disciplinary committee if you want to see it?"

NZTC: *long silence*............ "That would be good" "Please send it to ****** and we'll open an investigation.

Me: "Thanks " *Thinks* this is why we pay $280 for teacher Registration.

I also phoned all the other Deputy Principals in the area to make them aware of JV's history, and I've never heard from JV since.

I do notice that he's still got NZTC registration according to their website, and that their investigation is "on-going"

Still it's nice to know that they are so inefficient.

My goodness, what do you think they'd do if they saw this blog?

What to do? What to do?

22 comments:

  1. WTF? And the NZTC are making me jump through hoops at the moment just to renew my practising certificate. It took them a month to get back to me and tell my not only had I sent them the wrong form (the correct one according to me and what their website instructed) but I have to get it endorsed by a principal I have not worked for in three years. While I am trying to get this sorted out as the wheels of bureaucracy grind ever so slowly, my practising certificate has now lapsed and I am stuck in limbo. All the NZTC had to do was call the principal and get him to check my staff file and last appraisal and fax out to them a signed form. But no I have to organise this all myself so they have informed me! SO what am I getting for the $280 I have already paid the NZTC? Nothing, I appear to be doing their job for them, when I really have better things to do with my time. SO frustrated I want to scream and scream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh bad luck.

      Maybe they'll remove your certificate to practice, like they did to one of our HOFs after a slight mistake.

      Delete
    2. Oh don't tell me that. I'm hardly inspired with confidence as it is by them.

      Delete
  2. You really don't have to worry about God-botherers unless you live next door to church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The only thing I'd have to bother about would be restraining my impulse to
      a) Run about screaming that they're off their f*cking heads
      b) Machine gun the lot of the stupid basta*ds
      c) Slip in at night and replace the holy water with vitriol.

      Delete
  3. I cant see our system being any better, in fact just recently it emerged the Education administration was keeping secret from the Minister of Education many HUNDRED cases of reported sexual abuse/incidents in South Australia's schools. (just one of the seven states)
    ..it's currently hitting the fan.
    Seems to me the only one actually doing their job was YOU...
    Good work that man!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kymbo,
      it's nice to be appreciated.
      I can understand it when a teacher goes off the rails and starts doing something he/she shouldn't, it's almost impossible to screen for that, but missing a previous major incident is unforgiveable.

      There's another major incident just surfaced over here where a Deputy Principal in a small school up north was just convicted of serial molestations going back many years. I hope they take the bastard out and shoot him.

      Delete
    2. Oh man! I can completely understand teachers losing it and going nuts...Todays kids are complete dickheads. But as you say, the system is not working if blokes like this one get through the system. He probably told his BS war stories and bullshitted his way through the interviews.

      Delete
    3. I can understand the teachers losing it as well. I've seen several colleagues have a complete meltdown, and in one never to be forgotten instance, nail a wee bastard to a wall with a nail gun (through his backpack)
      I cannot speak about JV's methods about getting a job, although to be fair, no school in NZ offered him a permanent job... he was giving off some strange vibes. But I still cannot understand how he got Registration in the first place.

      Delete
  4. Apparently, you can run but you can't hide no longer applies. Flee to another country and it's all good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Possibly.

      Until detective TSB gets on your case.

      Are you looking for a bolthole?

      Delete
  5. Ace! I now know where I can get a job easily. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, come on out Furtheron.

      Out here (and in Aussie) you can bother as many sheep as you want, and nobody is too bothered.

      As long as it's a female sheep.

      We don't want any perverts out here.

      We've already got enough.

      Delete
  6. This seems to be a typical case of government in action--or is it government inaction?

    ReplyDelete
  7. In addition to all his dissembling and misconduct, I'm pretty sure that custard doesn't come from that part of a woman's anatomy. You'd better inform the medical council in case he tries to practice as a doctor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point Oh Jungle-Dwelling Simian, I'll inform them immediately. I'll also warn the Birds Custard Company about this slanderous misuse of their product.

      Delete
  8. I think you've done excellent work there. Who knows what might he might have done when unseen.

    Once this is over, would it be worth somehow pursuing it a bit more (if you have the energy) with the Teachng Council, asking them why they cannot do basic research on a teacher? Of course, they'll just give a load of bullshit back, but it needs taking up with someone, because we can't rely on amateur detectives to do this work.

    But overlooking those issues for one second, it's been a fasinating tale!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you looby, I believe I did my bit. The NZTC did say after I asked that they don't have time to do a full and detailed search about every applicant.

      I did add that I had found out that if I simply typed the blokes name into Google, I quickly got to the webpages with the dirt.

      I hope everyone enjoyed it. It's not quite as prurient as some of the fascinating stuff you write.

      Delete
  9. A journey and a half alright....!

    ReplyDelete

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