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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

why would a teacher be struck off from the teaching profession ?

63 replies

Debbrianabottomburp · 20/02/2016 10:21

I was talking to somebody somebody who got struck off recently and the reason they gave does not sound good enough. This person is a secondary school teacher. They didn't just fire him. What I also found out was that the union cannot support his case because they think it was a fair dismissal.
To me it says there is more if they agree with the school and they cannot take on his case. The reason why am asking is if I have to worry about my child. I could understand being fired but not struck off.

OP posts:
ImperialBlether · 20/02/2016 12:15

Is there nothing there when you google his name?

OurBlanche · 20/02/2016 12:16

Mmmm! Have your tried just googling: GTC hearing >first name surname<

It usually pulls them up quite quickly.

OurBlanche · 20/02/2016 12:19

Oooh! Did I put the Scottish ones up. Sorry! I clicked the wrong .gov.uk link. I am so sorry, that was an daft error to make!

www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-forthcoming-professional-conduct-hearings

Try NCTL hearing and his name

Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 20/02/2016 12:26

Googled his name and only Twitter and LinkedIn comes up with his picture.

OP posts:
LottieDoubtie · 20/02/2016 12:32

Are you sure he's been actually struck off?

Or just fairly sacked by an influential head who talks to other heads in the area- leading him to think he is now unemployable in the county/region?

Alwayscheerful · 20/02/2016 12:32

Might he use a different name professionally?

OurBlanche · 20/02/2016 12:34

That sounds odd! Unlikely that he has actually been struck of if there is no hearing. Maybe he left before they put him through capability...

Celticlassie · 20/02/2016 12:37

It's not necessarily anything to do with sexual abuse. You can be struck off for being unable to do your job properly - insufficient planning, marking, etc. It takes a while and a lot of evidence would have to be gathered, but it can happen. I've also read about someone being struck off for speaking inappropriately to pupils (your mum jokes, etc). It could be violence, financial misconduct, even things like mismanaging a school trip wrt teacher/pupil ratios, etc. Bringing the profession into disrepute (drink driving, silly behaviour on social media, etc) is also risky, as well as the cheating with exams, assessments, etc mentioned by a pp. It's not quite so difficult to get struck off as the public appear to believe!

LuluJakey1 · 20/02/2016 12:48

Examination interference
Sexual misbehaviour
Undermining 'fundamental British' values
Religious intolerance or promoting extremism
Theft or other criminal activity- violence, assault, whatever.
Basically anything that says you are not a good role model either at work or in private.

You can lose a job for not meeting the teacher standards but to be struck off indefinitely is very serious and would mean there had been a hearing and the decision had been made and then confirmed by the secretary of state. There are more of these cases than the public might think. They are published on the gov.uk website and are public documents. If he has been struck off ie has a prohibition order against him, the has to have been a hearing.

BookwormA1 · 20/02/2016 16:16

Yet another reason why so many are quitting...many after decades of blameless, effective service. So..did we all suddenly become abysmal overnight? Of course, as parents, we have a right to know our kids are safe and well taught. Most already are. Gove and Morgan have basically given schools the green light to manage older or unwell staff out of the profession...within four weeks. Parents can kid themselves that this is all about a glorious drive to raise standards. No it isn't. It is similar to Hunt's supposed NHS 'reforms'...a bullying way to save money. I've seen scores of staff leave within one academic year. Prior to the capability changes, the staffing was stable and the school's were much happier. The school's want young, fit, biddable staff who they can work for good ten years at the lower salary. If you reach upper pay spine, you know you are on borrowed time, particularly if not in SLT. The cleverer amongst us have smelt the coffee and are either quitting, emigrating, or have already gone. Tragic waste of experienced teachers. I don't know the history on this teacher, but if your school is going through a lot of sudden staff departures, the school is almost certainly abusing its own policies in order to cull older staff.

BookwormA1 · 20/02/2016 16:18

Of course, if the teacher HAS offended, then they deserve the full force of the law. My point is that many are being tarred with the same brush, and it is demoralising. I cannot think of any other profession with such hard working conditions and high expectations. Politics, maybe? No, didn't think so..

Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 21/02/2016 09:25

I hope he is fired and not struck off. When I speak to his parents I will ask them to clarify. I know he wants to take legal action against the school. What worried me also was the fact that the unions didn't want to be involved. The teacher and his parents wording didn't help. Saying he will never work in education again.

I know he was head of a department and earning almost 50k. I don't know why he would want to jeopardise the effort he has made in such a profession.

OP posts:
LuluJakey1 · 21/02/2016 10:59

There is something very strange about this. If he is in a union, they will represent him- not defend him but represent him and ensure fair procedure is followed. Once the dismissal has taken place, he would have the right to appeal and again, if he chose to appeal, the union would represent him, not defend him.
If it is then referred to NCTL - the organisation who hear cases and make prohibition orders- he would need a solicitor to represent him. Again, a union would normally pay for that. He would still have a right to appeal if a case was heard and a prohibition order put in place. It would be extremely unlikely that NCTL - who have huge amounts of legal advice- would get this wrong. If NCTL have heard the case and put a prohibition order in place, that is done independently of any school investigation. There is no point in him sueing the school. No school or college can now employ him.

He sounds as if he is not telling you the whole truth here- for whatever reason. Very odd.

Is it really any of your business to know more though? If there was any risk to children the police would have been involved and there would have been a prosecution.

BombadierFritz · 21/02/2016 11:06

Its quite common to be driven out of your job and for the union to do not all that much about it. He might be saying 'struck off' as he is depressed and doesnt want any pressure to ever go back in a classroom and school bullying situation again. Otherwise he'd be getting well meant pep talks about other jobs. I've seen other people go through this :(

Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 21/02/2016 11:25

Lulu I think it might be best for me to keep out of it. If the police are not involved then it means it's not something for us to worry about and it's just his business. For me, what he said and what has happened does not make sense. I do think that if there is something they are all keeping then they will let slip at some point in a random conversation.

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 11:36

Thankfully the main teaching unions aren't (usually) that spineless. It does sound as though something 'other' has happened. It is unlikely that you will ever know the details, unless it does go to a hearing. Unless, as you say, they let something slip

OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 11:37

Sorry, meant to add, as in the unions may not be able to defend his actions, but they would, as LuluJakey said, still represent him, to ensure due process.

Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 21/02/2016 11:41

They are a family with big secrets and every now and then something comes out. when they see my shocked face they pretend like it's something I should have known about Or they thought I already knew.

OP posts:
Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 21/02/2016 11:42

The unions are definitely not getting involved and they had to go through a few lawyers before they could find one who would.

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 11:43

Ah! Then you only have to sit and wait... whilst hoping the nosiness, no, expectation, no, anticipation doesn't kill you reality isn't as bad as you have been imagining Smile

OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 11:47

Oh stop! I am imagining all sorts now!

I really can't imagine a thing that unions or lawyers wouldn't get involved with - other than someone being a total pillock and trying to sue for a totally imaginary slight/event. Like my ex neigbour who tried to sue us because our car woke her up, at 6pm, when we parked in our allocated space, 20m from any windows, and she had gone to bed very early and very drunk tired.

bigTillyMint · 21/02/2016 11:47

Was it a private school? Maybe that would make a difference as to why his name isn't showing?

TBH, it sounds like he was doing something pretty damning.

OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 11:52

Oh! Easy answer to non involvement of the unions. He wasn't a member. They wouldn't step in after the fact.

And it doesn't have to be all that bad. He may just have told a Head or governor to fuck off!

Original poster
Debbrianabottomburp · 21/02/2016 12:01

No it's not a private school. The first thing we asked him was if he spoke to the union. If the union can't help you when lose your teaching job that just sends alarm bells ringing in my head. Probably it's nothing bad. Let's hope he was not part of a union.

Are there some teachers who are not part of a union? Why would a teacher not want to be part of a union?

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 21/02/2016 12:10

I never knew why some colleagues chose not to join.But some don't. It isn't obligatory. But why anyone wouldn't join has never made sense to me. There are so many ways you can get benefit from member ship, training, information and discount/freebies, let alone the legal help.