Scotland’s teaching watchdog has decided not to strike off a teacher accused of saying to a pupil “shut up, at least I’m not a virgin” and telling a class of 14-year-olds the glamour model Katie Price had “some tits on her”.
Alexander McLean - a maths and physics teacher - was also accused of encouraging pupils to make him a friend on Facebook, referring to the violent sexual practice “donkey punch” in class, and calling a female pupil “a fat mess”, referring to her breasts and saying he would want her on his “tug of war team”.
The alleged incidents took place between 2011 and 2013 when Mr McLean was working as a supply teacher in South Lanarkshire Council.
However a General Teaching Council for Scotland fitness to teach panel found insufficient evidence to prove some of the allegations. It also noted “there was no evidence of any repeat of the conduct in the last five years or so”.
It therefore decided, whilst Mr McLean’s fitness to teach “fell significantly short of the expected standards of conduct and behaviour”, he was not unfit to teach.
Mr McLean will now be the subject of a reprimand and a conditional registration order - the most serious sanction a fitness to teach panel can impose short of a ban - until the end of June next year.
According to the GTCS full hearing report, in his evidence Mr McLean - who said he was teaching at Duncanrig High in East Kilbride and was still a cover teacher for South Lanarkshire Council - said he had learned a great deal from the whole experience. He said he would not put himself in similar positions again and he now realised that making what he might consider as “light hearted or funny comments” to pupils in class could be misunderstood.
He maintained that he had not said a lot of what was alleged and found proved.
However the full hearing report also stated the fitness to teach panel “was not satisfied that [Mr McLean] had shown sufficient insight into his actions and behaviour” and had displayed “no remorse and very little regret”.
The conditions imposed on Mr McLean’s registration would “address the concerns around his limited insight”, the panel said.
