ABSTRACT
The main text of this book ends where it began: with the issue of allegations of abuse by teachers. This layout is deliberate. While teachers’ needs are important, the primary focus has to be on children and the role of schools in ensuring their protection. One of my aims in writing has been to redress what sometimes seems to be an imbalance in perceptions in the education service. Getting protection right for the adults must be subsidiary to getting it right for the children, though I would also argue that there is rarely a fundamental conflict between the two. There is no doubt, however, that many teachers feel uncomfortable about this whole area, and unless these feelings are addressed, serious obstacles to best practice may remain unchallenged, especially if the individuals concerned are in positions of senior management.
