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

[Debbrianabottomburp]

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.

I would never not be in a teaching union - I am now, even though I only work one day a week.

However, I have heard adverse stories about all three main unions. Things like them not wanting to bother fighting their member's corner and encouraging members to take a settlement agreement at the drop of a hat. I have also heard other stories about general incompetent handling of cases too which might explain people's reluctance to join.

Some staff prefer to join Edapt instead of a union because of the perceived general anti-government stuff they tend to send out to their members.

I work for a union and we would be unlikely to allow somebody to join the union once disciplinary action is being taken (there are exceptions though), so if he wasn't a member in the first place then he wouldn't be able to get representation. There is nothing unusual or suspicious about that part at least.

Magpie - of course, I bet that's why! He perhaps wasn't in a union to begin with.

A fair dismissal just means that the school followed the correct procedures and either gave the appropriate warnings or had a policy in place that certain behaviour was consider gross misconduct. To prove unfair dismissal is incredibly difficult.

Gross misconduct for a teacher could be something as innocent as a pupil seeing you drinking in a pub. I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on what he has said that there is anything for you, as a parent, to worry about.

Gross misconduct could not simply be a student seeing you drinking in a pub! You do not seriously think that if DH and I are having a Saturday lunchtime glass of wine at our village pub with our lunch and a student comes in with their parent, or a sixth former comes in that we would be sacked for gross misconduct? That is utter rubbish.

Lulu for some schools, yes. Some set out very clear protocols and the expectation is that you do not socialise where your students might be and if you do see one, you immediately leave. If you did not and it was reported (because pupils gossip and it quickly becomes rumoured around the school that a pupil and teacher were drinking together, so sounds inappropriate if it gets back to a parent) it would result in a warning and would go down a disciplinary route. It absolutely does happen.

Might gross misconduct also apply if you had faked, or misrepresented, your qualifications?

An old teacher of mine was struck off permanently because he cost several students their GCSE grades by allowing them to sit exams outside of exam room conditions. He was found out and didn't cooperate with the investigations and didn't appear to be sorry so he is no longer allowed to teach.

In rare cases families can appeal so the hearing won't be in the public domain, if it is close to home or Could affect young family members. This would assume though that the offence was serious and maybe related to child protection.

I understand tha rule but that is not the same as a student simply seeing you with a drink - which is what you implied.

We would always advise staff that if they are in a pub and teenagers or sixth formers come in that they leave asap. They do not socialise with the students or stay drinking in the pub. However, if I was having lunch with DH we would finish our lunch and I think that would be reasonable.

If it was an evening and we were out with friends in a restaurant having a meal we would probably leave - I wouldn't want to be sitting two tables away from sixth formers on a night out.

However, teachers are entitled to a private life and if they were with their family having a meal and a glass of wine they would be unlikely to lose their job. If on the other hand they were out drinkng with their mates and a group of sixth formers came into the pub and the teacher was clearly drunk, kept drinking and bought sixth formers drinks, they could be n a very dodgy position.

We would always advise staff that if they are in a pub and teenagers or sixth formers come in that they leave asap

This surprises me very much. Surely it is possible to be in the same pub/restaurant as someone and not be socialising with them. So would your advice be the same if I were invited to a family meal or drink/celebration in a pub and some students happened to drop in - would I have to leave? This seems very unfair!

April 2023. There are occasions where a teacher experiences conspiracies as particular staff members want rid of them to appease members of the community. Union is non existent in their challenge. The fear of upsetting particular group of people in the community is more important that common sense, facts and UK laws. The teachers work was not the problem. The teacher was isolated with no one willing to challenge the discrepancies and mismanagement and claims made by the staff members force the teacher out. A miscarriage of justice

In my 39 years in education I have known the following to have happened to cause a teacher to be forbidden from teaching:

• Sexual offences (police involved and jailed)
• Teacher taking a pupil home for somewhere to stay for the night as pupil was subject to DV.
• Teacher relationship with pupil.
• Teacher committing fraud - falsifying data.
• Downloading sexual/graphic/inappropriate content onto a school computer.
• Teacher turning up to work drunk (drove car in also) - police involved.

Theae are the most serious but there have been other dismissals.