Flintshire: Teacher oath against pupil relationships discussed

The motion was submitted by Hope councillor Gladys Healey, who claims stronger measures are needed to protect children from abuse by teachers.

Neil Butler, the union’s national official for Wales, said: “This motion serves only to bring the teaching profession into disrepute.

“Teachers in Wales are highly regulated and have to adhere to the Education Workforce’s code of practice which explicitly states that teachers ‘have a duty of care for the safety, physical, social, moral, and educational wellbeing of learners and young people’,” he added.

“If a teacher falls short of this code, they face disciplinary action and potential dismissal.

“For Flintshire council to introduce its own oath would be showing a shocking contempt for the profession.”

A child practice review is currently being carried out by the North Wales Safeguarding Board following Foden’s sentencing, which local authority Cyngor Gwynedd has pledged to co-operate fully with.

The board’s chair described it as a “vital step in protecting vulnerable children in north Wales”.

However, critics fear that it will not go far enough.

Ms Healey, who sits on Flintshire’s education scrutiny committee, said current safeguarding measures need improving