Megan Fletcher-Smith, instructed by Michelle Stewart of Thompsons Solicitors, successfully defended a teacher who admitted unacceptable professional conduct and conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute before the Teachers Regulation Agency.
Megan’s client admitted paying sixth form students to mark internal assessments for lower years. Although the Teachers Regulation Agency submitted that Megan’s client ought to have known that the students were Pupil Premium pupils, the panel, having received Megan’s submissions did not agree with this assessment. Nor did they agree with the Teacher Regulation Agency’s submission that the registrant teacher approached the students to request they undertake this work.
Having secured positive determinations in respect of these elements, Megan was able to demonstrate that the public interest lay in allowing her client to remain a teacher as opposed to prohibiting them. Having accepted full responsibility for their actions and having developed ‘exceptional’ insight, the panel determined that a Prohibition Order would not be a proportionate response to the admitted conduct.
Megan’s client can continue to serve the community in their specialist subject, and contribute positively to the lives of pupils in their school.
Megan’s varied professional discipline practice is recognised before a number of regulators. She is known for making firm submissions backed by evidence, and for extracting minute details from cases which become matters of great importance when considering the seriousness of misconduct.
View Megan’s profile here.