Teacher who told kid she’s ‘not here to wipe her a**e’ dodges sack | UK News

A grammar school teacher in Scotland who told a year 8 pupil she’s ‘not here to wipe her a**e’ will not be sacked, a panel has concluded.

Claire Sweeney made the remark at Uddingston Grammar in Lanarkshire on February 21, 2018.

According to a written ruling by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland), Sweeney told an S1 (first year) pupil: ‘I am not here to wipe your a**e.’

Sweeney admitted to the Scottish teachers’ registration charity she had made the comment.

The English teacher faced more heat for a second comment she made that same day.

One of her students had asked to be given spelling sheets and help with an essay, the panel was told across the three-day hearing in September.

Sweeney in a ‘shouty’ voice told her department head before the school day started at 9am that the pupil is ‘an attention seeker with a transgender identity crisis’.

Her boss was ‘taken aback’ by the ‘inappropriate’ comment. Wary that the situation could ‘deteriorate unpredictably’, he ended the conversation.

In an outburst the following day, Sweeney told another S1 class: ‘I am not vaguely interested’, ‘I am not interested, when will you realise that?’ and, ‘For God’s sake, just shut up’.

GTC Scotland panellists heard how Sweeney had been accused of being ‘unfit to teach’ and breaching the charity’s code of professionalism and conduct.

Sweeney did not admit that her fitness to teach was ‘impaired’.

She stressed she had a ‘particularly good relationship’ with the pupil whose gender identity she had commented as well as their parents while ‘consistently’ denying saying the alleged comment.

The ruling said: ‘She explained that the pupil had communication issues caused in part by their decision to transition gender, resulting in them being unwilling to speak up directly in class.’

‘However, the panel could see no reason that witness one would have made up the phrase alleged,’ it added.

A witness giving evidence to the panel claimed Sweeney had ‘shouted’ that she was ‘not interested’, among other remarks, while marking pupils’ work on February 22, 2018.

Writing the comments down, the witness reported Sweeney to the headteacher, though another passer-by ‘did not recall’ her saying them.

The second witness, a pupil support assistant, described Sweeney’s first-year English class as being ‘difficult to manage at times’.

GTC Scotland said: ‘The teacher accepted that she would occasionally raise her voice in order to take control but would not use the words attributed to her in relation [to the accusation].’

Panellists concluded that Sweeney’s behaviour amounted to misconduct but were satisfied it was ‘remediable’ and allowed her to remain as a teacher.

Sweeney left the school due to ill health following the incidents and the weeks-long disciplinary proceedings against her in March 2018.

She has since taken up work at another school.

In its ruling, GTC Scotland said: ‘Although the panel was not provided with independent medical reports or up-to-date testimonials, the panel was entirely persuaded when the teacher said that she was “chastened” by the process and had fully accepted the findings of the panel against her.

‘In all the circumstances, the panel was satisfied that the teacher had in fact remediated her past misconduct. The panel was further satisfied that there was no real risk of any repetition of this or any other misconduct.’

It concluded: ‘There was no current impairment of the teacher’s fitness to teach. Accordingly, the teacher was found to be currently fit to teach.’

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