Joshua Sutcliffe

(asked on 23rd May 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the Teaching Regulation Agency on the adequacy of its guidelines on (a) misgendering and (b) preferred pronouns, in the context of the case of Joshua Sutcliffe.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 1st June 2023

Guidance on ‘Teacher misconduct: the prohibition of teachers’ (the Advice) sets out the arrangements for the regulatory system relating to teacher misconduct. These arrangements are operated by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), an executive agency of the Department, which acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, as the regulator of the teaching profession. The Advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-the-prohibition-of-teachers--3.

The Advice sets out the factors to be considered by an independent professional conduct panel convened by the TRA for the purposes of regulating the teaching profession. The Advice is used to inform panel considerations, findings and recommendations to the Secretary of State about whether to impose a prohibition order on a teacher. A panel must consider each case on its own merits. The decision maker who acts on behalf of the Secretary of State also uses the Advice when considering the panel’s recommendation and in deciding whether to make a prohibition order.

Given the independent nature of the panel, it would be inappropriate for the Secretary of State to comment on the specifics of any case or look to direct a panel in any way.

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