Exclusive: Victorian teachers allowed to work in schools without criminal checks

Hundreds of teachers have been working in Victorian schools without completing a criminal record check, despite some recording disclosable offences.

Victorian teachers have been allowed to work without completing a criminal check.

Hundreds of teachers have been working in Victorian schools without completing a criminal record check or proving they’ve finished their degree.

More than 850 teachers were given permission to work in schools and early childhood centres amid a bulk approval in January, before proper checks were done.

Of those green-lit, 229 teachers have been working in Victorian classrooms this year.

The Herald Sun has been told that while they were working in schools, some of these teachers returned criminal checks with disclosable offences — including drink driving and theft.

But a Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) spokeswoman said no teacher in the bulk approval had been removed from a school due to a returned offence.

She confirmed the teachers held a Working With Children Check, and “made no adverse declarations regarding their suitability to teach”.

But people with criminal records can still be approved for a WWCC — rapists, gropers and child molesters have previously been granted permission to work with kids.

Teachers are typically required to complete the more extensive national criminal record check to become registered to work in Victoria.

The bulk approval, which does not follow proper procedure, occurred amid concern there wouldn’t be enough teachers available for the beginning of Term 1.

“This process ensured as many teachers as possible who were commencing a position at a school in Term 1 were ready to teach on their start date,” a VIT spokeswoman said.

It’s understood there was a delay in universities giving the teaching watchdog evidence that their students had finished their degrees.

This was due to the pandemic affecting graduate teachers’ final placements in schools and centres.

As a result, 853 people were handed interim registration to work in the classroom between January 29 and April 2.

The spokeswoman for the teaching watchdog said the bulk approval “occurred while VIT waited for evidence of completion of their degree from their ITE (Initial Teacher Education) provider or their Nationally co-ordinated Criminal History Check to be processed and allowed them to undertake the duties of a teacher on an interim basis”.

The decision to bulk approve graduate teachers was made by VIT chief executive Peter Corcoran.

@ashargoon