'Don't touch' video plays to culture of fear says Minister

The Education Secretary said the film "plays to a culture of fear" and reinforces the message that any adult who touches a child is guilty of inappropriate conduct.

The three-minute video, Keeping Children Safe in Music – inappropriate demonstration, is part of a series of related films by the NSPCC and the Musicians Union in partnership with Music Leader and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

It says: "It isn't necessary to touch children in order to demonstrate. There's always a better way."

The video later says: "You should never need to touch a student for demonstration. This can make students feel uncomfortable. It could leave you open to a charge of inappropriate behaviour.

"Use your creativity to find other, equally effective, ways to demonstrate."

But in a letter to the organisations, Mr Gove said he was "disappointed" by the film's content, and reiterated his view that it is time to "move away from this presumption".

"By telling your music teachers that they should avoid any physical contact with children, it sends out completely the wrong message. It plays to a culture of fear among both adults and children, reinforcing the message that any adult who touches a child is somehow guilty of inappropriate contact."

The Department for Education "is taking steps to restore common sense to this whole area" he wrote.

Mr Gove confirmed in October last year that he intends to scrap so-called "no touch" rules which discourage teachers from restraining and comforting children.

In his letter, Mr Gove said there are "many occasions when it will be totally appropriate, indeed positively right, for teachers or tutors to be in physical contact with a pupil".

"It is entirely proper and necessary for adults to touch children when they demonstrate how to play a musical instrument, when they show how to play certain sports, when they are leading a child away from trouble, when they are comforting distressed or disconsolate children and when they are intervening to prevent disorder and harm."

It is "particularly important" that music teachers are confident in demonstrating techniques, he added.

"If we stigmatise and seek to restrict all physical contact between responsible adults and children, we will only undermine healthy relations between the generations.

"If we play to the assumption that any physical contact is somehow suspect then we will make children more suspicious of adults and adults more nervous and confused about their role in our society.

"We will drive good people away from teaching for fear of crossing some arbitrary line and our children will lose out as fewer and fewer adults feel comfortable working with young people."