At the recent ITTAG meeting some concern was expressed from one network about difficulties where trainees had been accepted on courses after health/fitness clearance and later transpired to have health/fitness issues that could not be met within the parameters of reasonable adjustment.
As I had already begun some work around whether being deemed suitable to train to teach made a difference to the health and physical capacity issue NASBTT was interested to investigate further. [As it turned out the criteria state health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm. as they are still required to have the physical capacity to teach as opposed to train to teach]
At this stage I won’t go into all the problems we are uncovering but we are scoping what would be a significant piece of work on clarifying health and physical capacity requirements and how these would sit comfortably alongside issues of equality and inclusion. As part of this it would be very helpful if you could let me have the questions you ask successful applicants in ensuring Providers have a responsibility to ensure that trainees have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm. It would also be most helpful for brief case studies of difficulties you have experienced with a trainee where you think the health referral process you used did not identify issues at an early enough stage.
Please email directly to me mthompson@nasbtt.org.uk and it goes without saying that anything submitted will be treated in the strictest confidence.