Educationally Subnormal

Suddenly the press are making a fuss about the department of education allowing someone on the sex offenders register to become a teacher and we need new legislation. Now just hold your horses a min, I thought we already did have legislation about this - after all I'm not allowed to work unless I have an enhanced criminal records check which includes checks against POVA and POCA lists (This does not mean some civil servant coming round and going through your CD collection Mister Squeaky - although I do rather like the idea of -"You listen to Coldplay so no job, you emotional retard!") and I thought the same applied to anyone who was going to work for children. Convicted sex offender = POCA (Protection of Children Act) list. If your name is on that list no job teaching children end of story.
Now it appears that different rules apply - is it that a Minister can sanction employing someone on POCA or is it that there is a reluctance to put people's names forward for POCA?

Anyway let's carry this forward a little, there is a proposal to bring in a new mental health act which will include the provision of a register for people considered to have a "dangerous and severe personality disorder", this register is to be administered by the same people who oversee the sex offenders register. OK all well and good so far, but here's the sting in the tail - the people put forward for this new register do not have to have committed any offence - merely having violent fantasy will be sufficient for them to be included - and this is all because of the tragic case of the Russell family so that the government can be seen to be compassionate and caring -and I'm guessing that inclusion on this list will prevent some people from entering certain professions...

To my way of thinking this means that whilst Gary Glitter could be employed as a nursery school teacher if the Minister of Education said it was OK, someone who has real problems that they are trying to address and who could make a valuable contribution will be denied entry to the teaching profession.