Inept teacher is struck off the register
Perthshire woman is first in Scotland to be banned because of incompetence
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A primary school teacher yesterday became the first in Scotland to be struck off for incompetence.
Susan Barnard, from Perthshire, had already pleaded guilty at a hearing of the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) last month.
Yesterday, the council banned the 55-year-old from teaching at any school in the UK.
James Thewliss, convener of the body’s disciplinary sub-committee, said: “The sub-committee decided unanimously to direct the registrar to remove the respondent’s name from the register.”
Mrs Barnard had already been sacked by Perth and Kinross Council after concerns about her performance at Coupar Angus, Comrie and Arngask primaries between November 2003 and December 2006.
She had accepted not meeting professional standards, and admitted a string of shortcomings in her performance. These included concerns over her treatment of pupils and colleagues as well as her general teaching competency.
In her defence, Mrs Barnard apologised and said she had been going through a “dark time” during the period she was found to be incompetent. Speaking after the hearing, her solicitor, Andrew Gibb, said: “She’s naturally quite disappointed at the outcome and having difficulty in coming to terms with it.
“I think she got a fair hearing today. I think the committee dealt with it well in all the circumstances.”
Asked what message it could send to parents, he said: “I hope it sends out the message that teachers have a very difficult job.”
Mrs Barnard can appeal the decision but she has no plans to do so at the moment, Mr Gibb added.
Mrs Barnard is no longer on the teachers’ register but can reapply to be put back on in 12 months. The onus will be on her to prove to the GTCS that she is capable of returning to the classroom.
Conservative MSP Liz Smith, spokeswoman for children, schools and skills, and a former teacher, said: “This is the right decision as far as I am concerned.
“While I am sure Mrs Barnard has been through a very difficult time, it is simply not acceptable that we tolerate incompetence in our classrooms.”
Despite accepting she had been incompetent, Mrs Barnard had asked the GTCS not to remove her from the teaching register.
She claimed the period from 2003 and 2006 had been a difficult one for her. Mr Gibb highlighted the effects of a serious car crash in 1980, suggesting this had an impact on his client’s behaviour.
The accident was a traumatic one for Mrs Barnard – it killed her then boyfriend and left her with serious facial injuries. Lawyer Robbie Burnett, representing the GTCS, set out the council’s evidence at yesterday’s hearing.
Mrs Barnard had previously worked as a supply teacher at Perth and Kinross Council. She got a permanent post in October 2004 at Coupar Angus Primary School. This is when issues about her competence began to emerge and complaints were received about the way the teacher was treating other staff members and the pupils.
She was asked to leave Coupar Angus in April 2005, and then taught at Comrie Primary School and Arngask Primary School. Her teaching failed to get any better, however, and the council finally dismissed her in late 2006.
The three schools reported a string of similar failures. These included:
Incapability of connecting to the children she taught.
Lack of clarity in explaining simple things.
Failure to use appropriate language for the young children she taught.
She also failed to plan lessons correctly, Mr Burnett said, and did not teach the children what she was meant to. These shortcomings meant the classes she taught became disruptive, with behaviour breaking down.
Allan Hunter, whose 11-year-old daughter was taught by Mrs Barnard, was at yesterday’s hearing. Mr Hunter, 52, a company director, said: “I found her very condescending to me as a parent. She had a real lack of understanding of what parents’ concerns might be.”
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