Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government who sits on the senior management board of the Teaching Regulation Agency; how are its members appointed; and on what basis do they make decisions regarding teacher misconduct.

The Teaching Regulation Agency’s (TRA) Senior Leadership Team (SLT) sit on the TRA Executive Board. The TRA SLT includes the Chief Executive and Senior Managers who lead the two operational units within TRA. Board members are not formally appointed as they are existing civil servants employed by the TRA. The purpose of the Board is to develop and monitor the strategic planning, risk management and leadership priorities of the Agency.

An independent Professional Conduct Panel, appointed under the Public Appointments process, hear cases of serious teacher misconduct. The independent Professional Conduct Panel determine whether the evidence proves unacceptable professional conduct, conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, or a conviction of a relevant offence. If so, the Professional Conduct Panel will make a recommendation to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education on whether to prohibit the individual from teaching. Following recommendation, the decision to impose a prohibition order is taken by a member of the TRA SLT, on behalf of the Secretary of State. Individual cases and decisions are not discussed at the TRA Executive Board.