Appointment details

Teaching Regulation Agency Professional Conduct Panel - Teacher Panellist and Lay Panellist

Summary

• Organisation: Teacher Misconduct – Professional Conduct Panel Members
• Sponsor department: Department for Education
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Education
• Skills: Business, Communication, Legal, Judicial, Regulation, Casework and Complaints Handling, Education
• Number of vacancies: 150
• Time commitment: Adhoc
• Length of term: 5 Years
• Application deadline: Midday on 19 February 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   22 January 2025

2. Application deadline

   Midday on 19 February 2025

3. Sifting date

   14 March 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   30 April 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

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). Every panel must be convened with at least three people (including a panel Chair). One person must be a serving or recently served teacher (teacher panellist) and one person must not have worked or been engaged as a teacher (lay panellist). There are no conditions set for the other member of the panel, the third person could either be a teacher or lay panellist. The panels are convened to hear and consider only the most serious allegations of misconduct against teachers, to make findings of fact and then to determine whether a recommendation for prohibition should be made to the Secretary of State. Panels will be supported by an independent legal adviser, providing procedural and legal advice. Final decisions as to whether to issue a prohibition order are taken by a senior TRA official acting on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Panels are normally held in public, unless otherwise agreed and panel findings and TRA decisions are published as set out in regulations.

Appointment description

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 Case Management Hearings where they will consider applications from parties and provide case management directions.

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 appeals from teachers who have been formally notified by an appropriate body that they have failed to complete their teacher induction period satisfactorily or that their induction appeal has been extended. The panel will then make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, under the Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers) (England) Regulations 2012.

Each professional conduct panel will be chaired by a panellist, who is supported by the independent legal adviser. TRA determine who will act as Chair prior to the hearing and notify all parties in advance.  

Please refer to the Information Pack (found within the attachment section) for further details about the panellist roles and the recruitment process.

Person specification

Essential criteria

As a panellist you will need to show that you are able to:

• identify key issues, assimilate information, and manage complex material 
• use information in a fair, thorough, and balanced way to arrive at well judged, and reasoned decisions
• exercise discretion effectively, to work within a statutory framework and understand legal and procedural issues
• facilitate decision-making in a timely manner whilst encouraging active participation and collaboration among all parties
• generate the trust, confidence and respect of others and deal impartially with all matters raised during professional conduct panel hearings and
• have an awareness of, and commitment to, equal treatment and diversity

At interview you will also be asked to demonstrate your ability to:

• relate well to others, generate trust and confidence and show respect to all parties involved in a high-profile activity
• remain even-tempered and courteous at all times
• express yourself clearly and succinctly in relation to difficult and complex issues so that there is no ambiguity and others readily understand their meaning 
• behave in a fair, balanced and non-discriminatory manner which recognises difference and diversity
• maintain firm and effective control and manage unexpected events effectively in a formal setting, for example, at a disciplinary, judicial or HR investigation, or for teachers, handling serious teacher misconduct associated with examination malpractice 

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• A Curriculum Vitae (2 pages maximum) which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history with dates of tenure, directorships and membership of professional bodies

• A completed Personal Statement form (the form can be found within the attachment section) describing your skills and experience in relation to all criteria set out above, using examples to support your description. Your response for each section should not exceed 500 words. The Form also asks you to specify whether you are applying as a lay panellist or a teacher panellist by ticking the appropriate box. Please ensure you use the DfE Personal Statement Form provided in the attachments.

• equality information

• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

References

Please note, if you are invited to attend an interview, we will ask you to provide details of two referees who will support your application, at least one of must be your most recent employer and in a line management capacity. Please note, an appointment will not be offered unless we have received satisfactory references.

Recruitment Information Webinars

The Department for Education will host three one-hour information webinars for applicants during the application period. These sessions will provide an overview of the application process and further information about the panellist role. Details of the webinars, including how to sign up, can be found in the attachment section (within the document titled ‘Webinar Information Form’).

Overview of the application process

These appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages.

The assessment process

1. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed to assist in decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role

2. At shortlisting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

3. Once the shortlist has been agreed, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

4. The Panel will meet to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel will invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

5. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

6. Candidates should be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

7. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment requesting conformation they wish to take up the position.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

The interview panel 

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) include a departmental official and an independent member. 

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

Teacher Panellists - To be considered eligible for membership as a teacher panellist, applicants must be currently employed or engaged as a teacher or have been employed or engaged as a teacher in the last five years in an education setting.

For the purposes of teacher regulation and as set out in the Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 amended in 2014, ‘teacher’ is defined as a person employed or engaged to carry out unsupervised teaching work at a school, a sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation, children’s home or 16-19 academy in England. Each of the following activities is defined as teaching work

a) planning and preparing lessons and courses for pupils

b) delivering lessons to pupils (including delivering lessons through distance learning or computer aided techniques)

c) assessing the development, progress and attainment of pupils

d) reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils

Lay panellists - To be considered eligible for membership as a lay panellist, applicants will not have worked or been engaged as a teacher (the definition of a teacher under current legislation is outlined above). The lay panellist will bring their knowledge and experience to the panel. This role will suit individuals who have experience in dealing with investigations of a complex and sensitive nature.

In this recruitment exercise, we are also seeking individuals with experience working in Further Education, Independent Training Providers, and accredited online education providers to contribute their professional expertise to panel hearings. These individuals will serve as lay panellists.  

In general, you should live and have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for.

If you need further advice, please contact   TRA.RECRUITMENT@education.gov.uk.  

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Professional conduct panels are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve. 

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Panellists are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include, but are not restricted to, disqualification as a director, declared bankrupt or removal as a trustee from a charitable organisation, and if employed in the financial services sector, confirmation that you have been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

In addition, we will carry out an online search to ascertain if any publicly made comments are conflict with the Principles of Public Life. If necessary, any potential issues will be explored further with the individual concerned.

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

These are unpaid, voluntary positions. Panellists will be eligible to claim expenses for travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred while on panellist duty and other expenses in line with TRA guidelines. Where a self-employed panellist incurs loss of earnings as a result of attending a hearing, the TRA will pay a daily flat-rate payment to compensate

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the TRA Recruitment Team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application, by emailing: TRA.RECRUITMENT@education.gov.uk.

We will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days. 

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

Personal data collected as part of this exercise will be processed in accordance with the Department for Education Privacy Notice. You can access the privacy notice here. 

Contact details

To make further enquiries, please email: TRA.RECRUITMENT@education.gov.uk

Attachments

• Information Pack

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Personal Statement Form

• Webinar Information Form