Fitness to Teach Panel Hearings

Date of hearing: 28-30 November 2018
Location: GTCS
Type of hearing/Application: Conduct Full Hearing

1. Members of the public and media are expected to give at least one working days’ notice to GTCS if they wish to attend a hearing in order to allow staffing arrangements to be put in place.

   Link to media guidelines:

   http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/media-attending-a-ftt-hearing.pdf.

   In relation to applications for privacy, media are entitled to make representations to the Panel if they so wish. Further information can be found in the GTCS Conducting Hearings in Private Practice Statement:

   http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/practice-statement-conducting-hearings-private78546_1967.pdf.

   Where a member of the media wishes to make such representations but does not wish to attend the hearing, representations can be provided in writing.

Fitness to Teach Panel Hearings

Date of hearing: Thursday 7 March
Location: GTCS
Type of hearing/Application: Conduct Full Hearing

1. On 7 September 2017, at Glasgow Sheriff Court and Strathkelvin Sheriff Court, you were convicted of the following offences.

   1. On 14 November 2015 on a road or other public place, namely Glassford Street, Stockwell Street and Howard Street, all Glasgow, you did cause serious injury to a person unknown, c/o Police Service of Scotland by driving a mechanically propelled vehicle dangerously and did drive at excessive speed, cause your vehicle to strike said unknown person and whilst said person was holding onto the roof of your vehicle, drive at excessive speed, fail to comply with red traffic signals and did subsequently cause said person to be thrown from your vehicle and strike the ground all to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life

      Contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 1A

   2. On 14 November 2015 on a road or other public place namely Glassford Street, Glasgow, you being the driver of a motor vehicle and an accident having then and there occurred owing to the presence of said motor vehicle on said road or public place whereby you did collide with a pedestrian, name unknown, c/o Police Service of Scotland, did fail to stop and give your name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle to any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring.

      Contrary to the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 170(2) and (4)

On 9 October 2017 at Glasgow Sheriff Court you were sentenced to imprisonment for a total of 18 months, disqualified from driving for a period of 45 months and your driving licence was endorsed.

Members of the public and media are expected to give at least one working days’ notice to GTCS if they wish to attend a hearing in order to allow staffing arrangements to be put in place.

Link to media guidelines:

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/media-attending-a-ftt-hearing.pdf.

In relation to applications for privacy, media are entitled to make representations to the Panel if they so wish. Further information can be found in the GTCS Conducting Hearings in Private Practice Statement:

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/practice-statement-conducting-hearings-private78546_1967.pdf.

Where a member of the media wishes to make such representations but does not wish to attend the hearing, representations can be provided in writing.

Fitness to Teach Panel Hearings

Date of hearing: 18-22 March 2019
Location: GTCS
Type of hearing/Application: Conduct Full Hearing

1. Between 2014 and August 2016 whilst employed at School A, Aberdeen (the "school") the teacher did:
   1. Engage In inappropriate conversation with Pupil A (an ex pupil of the school) who has additional support needs, specifically [redacted], in which the teacher did discuss his own sexuality;

   2. Engage in inappropriate conversations with Pupil A by way of text messaging and WhatsApp voice chat and, in particular did:

   Express inappropriate opinions and make comments about other colleagues; specifically mentioning other staff members he does not get on with or he does not like working with;

   Share confidential information with Pupil A, specifically about a relationship regarding another co­ worker and the teacher cautions Pupil A not to tell anyone.

   Instruct Pupil A to keep communications with him a secret, specifically, a long voice chat in which the teacher refers to having told private things that he should not have shared with Pupil A: "The thing is most of the time people are discreet; I tell you things as my friend but I don't tell these things to others. You need to remember that most people before treated you as a pupil therefore they didn't share these things with you because it is wrong. All of these things that I shouldn't have shared with you. I just did because we were friends. But I think you just, you should just consider some of these things and that one of those is that it's really important for you to be really careful”. Further texts stating "nobody else hearing these conversations”.

   Make inappropriate comments about Pupil A's family and attempt to influence the decision making of Pupil A, specifically a text where the teacher encourages Pupil A not to go home and expressing his surprise and disappointment when Pupil A did choose to go home. Further text messages in which there are comments from the teacher revealing his lack of respect for family or parental involvement in Pupil A's life whereby he says to Pupil A about his parents: "I was really surprised to find your parents are still there with you, yeah, really surprised they were still there with you". Further text messages from the teacher to Pupil A: "Good luck at home", "I don’t remember you ever going home and that being straightforward’’.

   Make comments of a sexual nature, specifically texts where the teacher talks about a saleswoman approaching him and chatting him up and keeping her hanging on just to talk longer to her because she was "so freaking hot and you would have loved her". Reference and texts to the teacher talking about wanting to stalk a girl on Pupil A's Facebook. A text conversation where there is reference to one of the teacher's previous boyfriends as in his previous partner not just a friend who is a boy. A text conversation encouraging Pupil A to go back to Aberdeen "to work and have a nice time here" and to "wank the whole day". Text comments from the teacher about Pupil A getting a tattoo suggesting he may put this on his genitals. Texts from the teacher to Pupil A about being on "Tinder" and perhaps he should join also. Asking Pupil A if he is going to meet a girl from Tinder and generally encouraging Pupil A to be promiscuous.

   Make inappropriate comments to Pupil A about his behaviour towards a 14 year old girl, specifically the teacher sends texts to suggest and enquire whether Pupil A may have "hooked up" with a 14 year old girl and asking Pupil A "if anything happened".

2. Between 2014 and August 2016 the teacher:
   1. Was present when Pupil A consumed alcohol in Skye in July 2016 and in Aberdeen in August 2016, in the knowledge that he had [redacted]. A common feature of [redacted] is impulsiveness and not being able to regulate ones behaviour. There is a pre-disposition of not being able to deal with alcohol.
   2. Did stay with Pupil A at his own accommodation; and
   3. Did take Pupil A on nights out in Aberdeen; during which Pupil A consumed alcohol and allowed him to stay in the teacher's accommodation
3. Between 2014 and August 2016 the teacher provided sex education lessons to Pupil A in the metal workshop without the agreement of the school and provided condoms.
4. Between 2014 and August 2016 the teacher did not maintain appropriate professional boundaries with Pupil A, of a teacher and pupil and a teacher and former pupil.

In light of the above it is alleged that your fitness to teach is impaired and you are unfit to teach, as a result of breaching Parts 1.2,1.3,1.4,1.6, and 2.3 of the General Teaching Council for Scotland's Code of Professionalism and Conduct.

Members of the public and media are expected to give at least one working days’ notice to GTCS if they wish to attend a hearing in order to allow staffing arrangements to be put in place.

Link to media guidelines:

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/media-attending-a-ftt-hearing.pdf.

In relation to applications for privacy, media are entitled to make representations to the Panel if they so wish. Further information can be found in the GTCS Conducting Hearings in Private Practice Statement:

http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/practice-statement-conducting-hearings-private78546_1967.pdf.

Where a member of the media wishes to make such representations but does not wish to attend the hearing, representations can be provided in writing.