While few teachers will ever face a disciplinary hearing, those that do need to know that their case will be dealt with fairly and promptly. Barbara Spender investigates.
Of more than 500,000 teachers currently registered with the GTC, only a tiny minority will ever experience a disciplinary hearing or an induction appeal.
But from now, the few who face such proceedings may find that their case is heard by a panel that includes a non-Council member, who has been specially appointed and trained for the task.
In March this year the GTC appointed 10 new lay representatives and 15 serving teachers, expanding the number carrying out the GTC's regulatory remit from 64 to 89. Referrals to the GTC have been growing and underpinning the move is a wish to reduce the amount of time it takes for cases to be heard. Those recruited will sit on committees to hear conduct, competence and criminal conviction cases.
For GTC chair Judy Moorhouse it's a positive step that will help teachers who are the subject of a complaint. 'The interests of justice for the teacher, who should not face undue delay, must be paramount,' says Judy. 'Recruiting a pool of panel members from outside Council will add capacity, helping us work through cases more quickly.' In addition, increasing the number of lay people in the pool offers an external perspective that boosts diversity and experience.
The original advertisement last autumn generated more than 800 enquiries, leading to 300 formal applications. These were whittled down to an interview shortlist of 60. Ensuring that appointees represented equality and diversity was a crucial element of the appointment process, which was overseen by a trained independent assessor from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OPCA).
While few teachers will ever face a disciplinary hearing, those that do need to know that their case will be dealt with fairly and promptly.
Gillian Stainthorpe, Chair of the GTC Regulation and Registration Committee, was one of the interviewers who met all the short-listed candidates for both lay and teacher vacancies.
'We saw many highly qualified people,' says Gillian. 'I was encouraged by the calibre of the individuals who are prepared to give up their time.While they came from all sorts of backgrounds, what they shared was a real interest in the work.'
Highly qualified people
Many of the applicants work in the public sector – as health or social services professionals or members of the police and probation services. Joining them were experienced consultants and human resources experts, council officers and union representatives. Several had knowledge of similar work elsewhere. Candidates were keen to find out more about teaching, welcoming the opportunity to use their skills in a different setting. A lay representative cannot be a serving teacher or have been employed as a teacher, head or deputy within a period of five years prior to appointment.
Those applying for the teacher vacancies represented all phases of education. Gillian says: 'It’s clear that they want to give something back to the profession. They see upholding the highest professional standards as the most important contribution they can make.' A teacher member must have a current contract of employment as a teacher, head or deputy and be registered with the GTC.
The inclusion of lay people on professional regulatory bodies is seen as important to ensure public confidence in the system. Under planned changes for the health sector, lay people will take up at least half of the seats on ruling councils and disciplinary committees. See 'Change ahead?' in the next chapter for more details.
At the GTC, appointments are expected to last for a minimum of four years, with each appointee spending up to 12 days a year working on hearings.
All the applicants were tested in four key areas:
- Analytical skills and decision-making
- Interpersonal skills and communication
- Understanding the Council’s regulatory framework
- Integrity and diversity.
Intensive training
For the successful candidates, the final stage of the process was an intensive two-day training programme in March, ensuring that the new appointees are trained to the same high standards as Council members. It culminated in a simulated hearing, involving actors playing the roles of teachers and witnesses, where participants had the opportunity to put into practice all they had learned.
The GTC has high expectations of its new regulatory appointees – whether teachers or lay. Gillian sums up the whole experience saying:
'I think the success of our selection process was reflected in the quality of the people I saw. They have a real commitment to public service and to being fair and impartial.'
* Barbara Spender is a freelance journalist.
