A new code of conduct for teachers
December 22, 2008
Teachers getting drunk and behaving badly at weekends well could be subjected to disciplinary action, according to a new code of conduct, just published in draft. It states teachers if they damage ‘public confidence and trust’ in their profession, could face sanctions.
Chief executive, the General Teaching Council (GTC), Keith Bartley stated the watchdog body wanted teachers to ‘consider their place in society’. It wanted them to act as role models, he added. When asked what it would do if teachers were found drunk at the weekend, he remarked the GTC before deciding on disciplinary tribunals would consider each individual case.
Teachers did not have to act as exemplary citizens, Bartley said, every second. Nevertheless, their behaviour at times could be ‘lawful but still not acceptable’. A GTC spokeswoman stated, the watchdog would come into play if a school/ocal authority reported behaviour of a teacher as misconduct (following a dismissal), or if he or she was cautioned on the behavioural count.
The code comes into force next autumn. It states that teachers as well as trainees need to
“uphold the law and maintain standards of behaviour – both inside and outside school that are appropriate given their membership of an important and responsible profession”
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