Do you disagree with your child’s teacher’s methods? Are you worried they are unprofessional or unfit to teach? As of this week, you can make an official complaint to the Teaching Council.
According to new Fitness to Teach regulations introduced by Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, a complaint relating to professional matters can be made against a registered teacher to the Council. An investigatory process will then take place to establish if the complaint should be the subject of a formal disciplinary inquiry.
Where findings are made against a teacher, a number of options ranging from advising, admonishing or censuring the teacher, to requiring the teacher to comply with conditions as part of their registration; for example attending a professional learning programme, can be enforced.
Formally signing the orders to commence Fitness to Teach hearings @Education_Ire pic.twitter.com/WodTV8R8zA
— Richard Bruton (@RichardbrutonTD) July 25, 2016
In the most serious cases, the sanction of suspension or removal from the Teaching Council Register will be available to the Council’s Disciplinary Panels. These provisions are in line with those of other regulators such as the Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Board.
The Teaching Council of Ireland have welcomed the new regulations and will administer this new process as part of its remit to promote and regulate the profession.
They have labelled the introduction of the process as a “very significant development for teachers and wider public”.
The Council has also developed a series of information leaflets that explain the practical aspects of the Fitness to Teach complaints process for teachers, their employers and members of the public. These are available for download from the Teaching Council website.
What do you think of the new Fitness to Teach regulations? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
