Unknown Teacher

The Secretary of State does not make these decisions himself. They are made by a senior official on the recommendation of an independent panel.

Teacher reference number:

8848267

Teacher's date of birth:

28 December 1965

Location teacher worked:

Tyne and Wear, North East England

Date of professional conduct panel:

7 to 9 January 2019

Outcome type:

Prohibition order

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with The Teacher's’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012, a professional conduct panel was convened to consider the case of Mr Jonathan Twidle formerly employed in Tyne and Wear, North East England.

The proceedings were held at Cheylesmore House, 5 Quinton Rd, Coventry CV1 2WT at 9.30am on 7 to 9 January 2019.

Teacher misconduct

Ground Floor, South

Cheylesmore House

5 Quinton RoadCoventryCV1 2WT

Email TRA.Casework@education.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7593 5393

Information about regulating the teaching profession and the process for dealing with serious teacher misconduct.

Mr Jonathan Twidle: Professional conduct panel outcome Panel decision and reasons on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education January 2019 Contents A. Introduction 3 B. Allegations 4 C. Preliminary applications 6 D. Summary of evidence 7 Documents 7 Witnesses 8 E. Decision and reasons 8 Panel’s recommendation to the Secretary of State 17 Decision and reasons on behalf of the Secretary of State 20 2 Professional conduct panel decision and recommendations, and decision on behalf of the Secretary of State Teacher: Mr Jonathan Twidle Teacher ref number: 8848267 Teacher date of birth: 28 December 1965 TRA reference: 16127 Date of determination: 9 January 2019 Former employer: Crooksbarn Primary School, Stockton-on-Tees and Willow Fields Community Primary School, Tyne and Wear A. Introduction A professional conduct panel (“the panel”) of the Teaching Regulation Agency (“the Agency”) convened on 7 to 9 January 2019 at Cheylesmore House, 5 Quinton Road, Coventry CV1 2WT to consider the case of Mr Jonathan Twidle. The panel members were Mr Rob Allan (lay panellist – in the chair), Ms Alison Feist (former teacher panellist) and Mr Paul Hawkins (teacher panellist). The legal adviser to the panel was Mr Graham Miles of Blake Morgan LLP solicitors. The presenting officer for the Agency was Ms Kayleigh Brooks of Browne Jacobson LLP solicitors. Mr Twidle was present and was represented by Mr Andrew Faux of counsel. The hearing took place in public and was recorded. 3 B. Allegations The panel considered the allegations set out in the Notice of Proceedings dated 23 July 2018. It was alleged that Mr Jonathan Twidle was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, in that: 1. Whilst employed as headteacher at Willow Fields Community Primary School in Tyne and Wear he engaged in financial mismanagement in that he: a) incurred expenses that were unreasonable and/or unaccounted for, including for: i. hotel(s) ii. fuel iii. restaurant(s) iv. travel fare(s) v. personal use at retail store(s) and/or for entrance fee(s) or event(s); b) used his school credit card for personal expenditure; c) used the school Business Manager's card to make one or more purchases; d) signed one or more cheques payable to himself; e) signed one or more cheques payable to his wife; f) arranged to lease a vehicle at cost to the school which: i. had a mileage allowance in excess of what was required for school business; ii. he intended to use and/or did use for his personal commute; iii. he arranged to be sponsored for approximately £350 per month for him to drive. 2. Whilst employed as headteacher at Willow Fields Community Primary School in Tyne and Wear he failed to properly manage and/or displayed favouritism towards his wife by: a) recruiting her without retaining appropriate records to justify her appointment and/or pay; 4 b) giving her a permanent employment contract when one or more other staff recruited at the same time were placed on a temporary contract; c) allowing her to take planning, preparation and assessment time to conduct personal childcare; d) arranged for teaching assistant to cover her in her absence; e) promoting her/giving her one or more paid positions: i. in favour of other staff; ii. with less responsibilities and/or duties than other staff; f) failing to take any action when she failed to: i. order resources; ii. write report(s); g) funded/permitted funding for her private childcare; h) permitting her to be absent from school whilst they visited their own child's new school together. 3. Whilst employed as headteacher at Crooksbarn Primary School in Stockton-on- Tees in and around 2009 he made inappropriate use of a corporate Blackberry mobile telephone by: a) making calls to one or more premium rate adult entertainment services; b) incurring charges of approximately £900 plus VAT for adult entertainment services which he allowed wholly or partly to be paid by the school/local authority. 4. His conduct insofar as it is proven at allegations 1a) to f), 2a) to h) and/or 3b) was dishonest and/or lacked integrity. Mr Twidle admitted the facts alleged in allegation 1a) i to v on the basis that the expenses incurred were unaccounted for and not that they were unreasonably incurred. Mr Twidle also admitted the facts alleged in 1b) to e), 3a) and b). He also admitted that his conduct in allegations 1a) to e) and allegation 3b) lacked integrity. Mr Twidle denied that his conduct in allegation 1a) was unreasonable. He also denied allegation 2a) to h). He denied that his conduct in allegations 1a) to e) and 3a) and b) was dishonest. 5 Mr Twidle admitted that his admitted conduct in respect of allegation 1a) to e) and allegation 3 amounts to unacceptable professional conduct. He also admitted that his admitted conduct in respect of allegation 3b) amounts to conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute. C. Preliminary applications Application for part of the hearing to be in private Mr Faux made an application for part of the hearing to take place in private. Mr Faux referred to paragraphs 26 to 33 of the statement of Mr Twidle which are relevant to the panel's consideration of allegation 3. Mr Faux submitted that those paragraphs contain sensitive personal information and that, it was necessary to ask questions about matters contained in those paragraphs, that evidence should be given in private. After hearing submissions from Mr Faux and the presenting officer and receiving legal advice, the chair announced the decision of the panel as follows: 'The panel has considered whether part of the hearing should take place in private. In doing so, the panel has weighed in the balance the public interest in the hearing taking place in public against Mr Twidle's right to privacy. In respect of paragraphs 26 to 29 and paragraph 33 of the statement of Mr Twidle, it is not the panel's current intention to ask questions about any of the matters referred to in those paragraphs. However, if it becomes necessary or appropriate to ask such questions, the panel will go into private session at that point on the basis that the rights of privacy outweigh the public interest in asking such questions. In relation to the other matters referred to by Mr Faux, the panel may wish to ask questions of Mr Twidle, but the panel does not consider that any such questions would need to relate to the content of the phone calls in allegation 3. The panel is not satisfied that it is necessary to go into private session in order to ask such questions'. Application to amend allegations The presenting officer made an application to amend the allegations, as follows:  Allegation 2e) i to be amended so that the words 'favour of', be replaced by the words 'preference to'.  Allegations 3b) to be amended to read 'incurring charges of £951 including VAT for amongst other things adult entertainment services which you allowed wholly or partly to be paid by the school/local authority and subsequently reimbursed in full'. Mr Faux did not oppose the application. After receiving legal advice from the legal adviser, the panel agreed to the applications to amend allegations 2e) i and 3b). 6 Application to admit additional documents The presenting officer made an application to admit the following additional documents, namely:  Email from [REDACTED] to Browne Jacobson LLP solicitors dated 19 December 2018  Minutes of meeting of governing body dated 29 March 2012  Minutes of meeting of governing body dated 8 October 2015  Email from [REDACTED] dated 18 December 2018 Mr Faux did not object to the admission of these documents and the panel agreed to admit them. D. Summary of evidence Documents In advance of the hearing, the panel received a bundle of documents which included: Section 1: Chronology and list of key people – pages 2 to 4 In addition, the panel agreed to accept the following documents: Section 2: Notice of Proceedings and Response – pages 6 to 16 Section 3: Teaching Regulation Agency witness statements – pages 18 to 340 Section 4: Teaching Regulation Agency documents – pages 342 to 442 Section 5: Teacher documents – pages 444 to 572  Email from [REDACTED] to Browne Jacobson LLP solicitors dated 19 December 2018 - page 573  Minutes of meeting of governing body dated 29 March 2012 – pages 574 to 579  Minutes of meeting of governing body dated 8 October 2015 – pages 580 to 583  Email from [REDACTED] dated 18 December 2018 – pages 584 - 589 With the exception of pages 574 to 589, the panel members confirmed that they had read all of the documents in advance of the hearing. 7 Witnesses The panel heard oral evidence from the following witness called by the presenting officer: [REDACTED], Teacher of Willow Fields Community Primary School. The panel also heard evidence from Jonathan Twidle. E. Decision and reasons The panel has carefully considered the case and reached a decision. The panel confirms that it has read all the documents provided in the bund