MINISTERS should abandon plans to criminalise teachers who fail to notice abuse, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference is set to affirm today.

An emergency motion from the union’s executive committee, likely to be debated and voted on this afternoon, affirms the importance of tackling sexual exploitation, radicalisation female genital mutilation but slams the ConDem government’s “knee-jerk response to these awful crimes” in suggesting teachers could face prosecution.

The plans are “ill-thought out and will leave children and young people increasingly vulnerable,” the proposers say.

The motion calls on the government to instead provide “adequate funding for the appropriate training of education staff” in tackling abuse.

The union, which begins its annual conference in Liverpool today, has also released a survey saying a third of teachers have been accused of improper behaviour by a student only to have allegations thrown out.

Since 2011 teachers accused of a criminal offence by a pupil at their school are guaranteed anonymity — but a further motion from the union’s executive will be heard today calling for this to be extended to support staff.

Most allegations were dismissed by schools themselves — and only a handful were handed to safeguarding boards or the police.

ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said: “It is only right and proper that children are protected and their welfare and safety must always come first, but the balance needs to be right so that teachers, heads and support staff do not suffer unnecessarily when false allegations are made against them.”