Introduction
Under the Education Act 2002, as amended by the Education Act 2011, the Secretary of State for Education has responsibility to regulate teachers’ conduct and to hold a list of teachers who have been prohibited from teaching. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) operates the regulatory system on her behalf and within the framework provided under the Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 and the Teachers’ Disciplinary (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2014. The purpose of this arrangement is to protect pupils, maintain public confidence in the teaching profession and uphold high standards of teacher conduct.
To carry out this function, teacher and lay panellists are appointed by the Secretary of State to sit on Professional Conduct Panels (Panels). The panels are convened to hear and consider only the most serious allegations against teachers and then to determine whether a recommendation for prohibition should be made to the Secretary of State.
Successful applicants will be required to sit as one of three panellists to consider allegations of serious misconduct referred to the Secretary of State by employers, the police, the Disclosure and Barring Service, other regulators, other interested organisations, and members of the public. The panel will consider the evidence and determine whether the facts in the case are proven and if it amounts to unacceptable professional conduct, conduct that brings the profession into disrepute and/or conviction of a relevant offence. The panel will make recommendations to the Secretary of State as to whether a teacher should be prohibited from teaching.
Role description
The role of professional conduct panellists.
Professional conduct panellists have three main duties and functions.
Firstly, to consider the evidence presented to the panel and reach a decision about whether the facts in the case are proved and whether this amounts to unacceptable professional conduct, conduct that brings the profession into disrepute and/or conviction of a relevant offence. The panel will then be required to consider whether to recommend to the Secretary of State that the teacher should be prohibited from teaching and, if so, whether it is appropriate to permit the teacher to have the prohibition order reviewed after a minimum period of at least two years. Panellists will also be involved in prehearings.
Secondly, to consider whether a teacher, who has previously been prohibited from teaching by the Secretary of State, should have their prohibition set aside and make appropriate recommendations to the Secretary of State.
Thirdly, to consider whether appeals from teachers against a decision by an Appropriate Body that they have not satisfactorily completed an induction period under the Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (England) Regulations 2012.
Essential criteria
Applicants should have the ability to manage complex, sensitive and confidential information in a fair and balanced way to arrive at well judged, reasonable and sustainable decisions.
The ability to generate the trust, confidence, and respect of others and to deal impartially with all matters raised during hearings is also essential.