Please help - disciplinary advice

[Happysea]

Hello sorry to be vague but i desperately need advice. A disciplinary panel met yesterday at my daughters school. It was about a member of staff we had to put in a complaint about. It followed all the correct procedures and was at the final gov panel. We heard nothing about the outcome yesterday. Today, after having to ask the head and chair of govs what is going on, we have been told the panel came to a conclusion but due to confidentiality we cannot be told anything about the conclusion at all. Does this sound right? Surely I should know what decision they have made about my child? Does anyone know if I can actually demand an answer?

[prh47bridge]

If the disciplinary was about a member of staff they have been making a decision about that member of staff, not about your child. You have no right whatsoever to know the outcome of the hearing. The school is right that it would be a breach of confidentiality to tell you.

[Happysea]

But if it was a complaint we as parents made due to the behaviour towards our child. The behaviour of this member of staff has made a huge mental and emotional impact on my child. We had to provide pages and pages of evidence and attend pre panel meetings. Yet we aren't allowed to now know anything about the conclusion at all?!

[LillyBugg]

As frustrating as it is, it is now confidential between employer and employee. Short of the teacher not being in school anymore (dismissal) you're not going to know the outcome.

[AugustaFinkNottle]

What you are entitled to know about is what action the school will take to protect your child from the behaviour complained about. But I suspect it may well be the case that, irrespective of the outcome of the disciplinary action, they have already taken steps to ensure the staff member in question is kept well away from your child.

[prh47bridge]

I suspected that the disciplinary hearing was related to complaints about the treatment of your daughter. It remains the case that it was not making decisions about your daughter. A decision about your daughter might be to move her to another class. If any such decisions have been taken you will be told. The disciplinary panel will have been deciding what action, if any, to take against the teacher. Whilst the decision may affect your daughter it is about the teacher. Revealing the decision to you would be a breach of confidentiality and would potentially allow the teacher to take legal action against the school.

Just to disagree with LillyBugg a little, even if the teacher disappears you won't know for sure. They may have been dismissed or they may have resigned with immediate effect.

As AugustaFinkNottle says, you are entitled to know what steps the school is taking to protect your child. That does not extend to knowing what disciplinary action, if any, they are taking against the teacher concerned.

[LillyBugg]

Yeah ok fair enough you wouldn't know definitely that they had been dismissed but it would be a reasonable assumption. Or even if not, a satisfying outcome.