Disgraced head offered job by Scotland’s teacher union
SCOTLAND’S leading teaching union has offered a job to a disgraced former head teacher who was sacked after getting drunk on a school trip and having “improper” contact with pupils. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) selected Gillian Rew as its “preferred” candidate for a £37,000-a-year post days before she admitted to the behaviour at a watchdog hearing.
A Scottish Conservatives spokesman said: “It is entirely a matter for the EIS as to who it employs. Nonetheless, some parents might have concerns about this particular situation.”
Rew was fired from her £74,000-a-year post at Arbroath High School in 2015 after drinking eight glasses of wine on a trip with S6 pupils to the Lockerbie Manor activity centre in Dumfries and Galloway.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), which regulates the profession, then launched a probe into Rew that could see her getting banned from teaching altogether.
The watchdog alleged she had been under the influence of alcohol on the trip and engaged in “inappropriate conversations with, made inappropriate comments to and had improper contact with pupils”.
It also accused her of breaching council child protection guidelines and stated: “In light of the above it is alleged that your fitness to teach is impaired and you are unfit to teach as a result of breaching the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Code of Professionalism and Conduct 2012.”
The GTCS staged a procedural hearing on September 21, at which Rew unsuccessfully tried to get the case heard in private.
However, in an extraordinary development, the EIS, whose general secretary is Larry Flanagan, then offered her a job in “professional learning” at the union.
On Monday, days after being being selected as the “preferred candidate” for the post, Rew admitted to the GTCS charges, apart from the section on being unfit to teach. The outcome of the hearing will be published within days.
One source said it was “outrageous” for the EIS, by far the biggest teaching union in the country, to hire Rew.
The job specification for Rew’s post noted that it would be “desirable” for applicants to have experience of “planning and delivering events” and “managing/supervising staff”. Rew’s appointment is subject to “satisfactory references”.
At the GTCS, Rew said she was “mortified” by her behaviour and at the time was drinking too much, partly as a result of working 14-hour days among what she said were hostile colleagues.
However, she claimed she should be allowed to stay on the teaching register and told the hearing: “I have a future in education.”
The 49-year-old told the GTCS she did not think any of the pupils “would have been particularly alarmed” by the events at Lockerbie Manor.
The hearing heard that some pupils were left feeling “shocked, uncomfortable and awkward” at the teacher’s behaviour.
Her admission means the full detail of what happened on the trip is unlikely to be disclosed.
A spokesperson for the EIS said: “Ms Rew has recently interviewed for a position within the EIS Education department.”
Asked if this meant Rew had been offered the job, he added: “She has been identified as preferred candidate for a vacancy within the Education department, subject to the normal pre-appointment procedures.”