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<p>Since April 2012, where a teacher has been dismissed, or resigned in the face of
dismissal, as a result of serious misconduct all schools have had a statutory duty
to consider referring the matter to the National College for Teaching and Leadership
(NCTL). The NCTL acts as the regulator of the teaching profession on behalf of the
Secretary of State. It is responsible for determining whether the referred individual
should be prohibited from teaching on the grounds of unacceptable professional conduct,
conduct that might bring the profession into disrepute and/or conviction of a relevant
offence. Information about cases considered by NCTL is not held in the format requested
and to obtain the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>In
addition to the NCTL process for regulating teachers, the Department's Independent
Education and Boarding Team (IEBT) administer the wider regulatory system for independent
schools. This team can receive information about allegations of abuse from a variety
of sources, including Ofsted, local authorities, parents and the police. The Department's
records show that there have been 5 referrals since April 2012 and 2 from January
2009 to March 2012 where sexual abuse of a pupil by an adult working at the school
was a factor. When such referrals are received, the Department's role is not to investigate
the allegations, which are a matter for the local authority and the police, but to
determine whether the school is meeting the independent school standards, and take
action to ensure it does so.</p>
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