Teaching union spokesman attacks Gove’s “licence for paedophiles”

It’s no surprise that Michael Gove’s call for parents to help out in strike-hit schools has caused a fair amount of controversy, but I didn’t expect a union spokesman to wheel out the old paedophile scare line:

[Gove] suggested parents enlist to help out stricken schools and give children something constructive to do, adding that it would save working parents a fortune. But union leaders in Dorset slammed the proposal, claiming it lacked common sense and would cause a “safeguarding nightmare”. Phil Jacques, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) secretary for Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset, claimed implementing the plan would be a “licence for paedophiles”.

“Teachers and other adults working in schools have to have a Criminal Records Bureau check, to avoid the risk,” he said. “That’s something that takes time. I’m sure any risk would be very low, but do we want to take that risk?” [Bournemouth Echo]