A PE teacher from the South East of England (represented by Cornwall Street professional discipline and education specialist Jonathan Storey) has this week been acquitted of several counts of dishonest conduct after a professional conduct panel hearing lasting eight days.
The teacher and his line manager were charged by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) with serious malpractice relating to Cambridge Nationals Sports Studies coursework at a large academy on the South coast. His line manager made several admissions but Jonathan’s client denied dishonesty and asserted that he had not done several of the acts alleged by the TRA. Having heard from eight live witnesses, the panel accepted Jonathan’s submissions that the TRA’s evidence was not sufficient to prove the full extent of his client’s conduct as alleged, and that his state of mind was not dishonest. It therefore made no finding of unacceptable professional conduct or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. Jonathan’s client’s line manager was, however, found guilty of both.