Mandatory Report Template for when a Complaint is Received about a Teacher Formerly Employed in your School/Centre
This template letter is for reporting to the New Zealand Teachers Council if you receive a complaint about the conduct or competence of a former teacher within 12 months after that teacher has left your employment.
You can copy and paste it into your own word processing programme to edit and print out on school letterhead.
You should send this report to the New Zealand Teachers Council as soon as possible after receiving the complaint.
[insert date]
The Manager: Teacher Practice
New Zealand Teachers Council
PO Box 5326
WELLINGTON
I am writing on behalf of [insert name of employer], to report that I have received a complaint about the conduct/competence [delete whichever is not applicable] of a teacher who resigned from this school/centre [delete which is not applicable] within the last twelve months.
The teacher's full name is [insert].
The teacher's maiden name/former name is [insert if applicable].
The teacher's registration number is [insert].
[Please note this is not the teacher's Ministry of Education number]
The teacher's date of birth is [insert].
The teacher's last known address is [insert].
The teacher's last day of employment at this school was [insert date].
The employer received a complaint about [insert teacher's name] on [insert date]. The nature of the complaint was:
[Provide full details, including names and contact details of persons and attach all relevant documentation*]
The following people can provide further information about this matter (if applicable):
[Provide contact details of relevant persons. This could include relevant government agencies and the police]
I have considered this complaint and am satisfied that it is not malicious, vexatious or without foundation.
In my opinion, an appropriate outcome for this matter would be [insert]
(Examples of possible outcomes could include that the teacher receives support and guidance from relevant people, the teacher should be referred to an impairment process, the teacher should have conditions on his/her registration, the teacher should be censured or the teacher should be deregistered
[Signature]
[Name]
[Position]
* Relevant documentation means documentation that provides evidence of the matters complained of or reported about that could include but is not limited to:
- statements of complainants, witnesses and any other persons;
- letters of complaint received by the employer about the teacher (including staff, parents, and students);
- letters between the employer or professional leader and the teacher concerning the complaint or matter of concern;
- any statement or responses, or records of these statements or responses received from the teacher or his/her advocate;
- the teacher's letter of resignation (if applicable);
- minutes of Board of Trustees meetings at which the matter was discussed;
- recent performance appraisals of the teacher;
- examples of the teacher's planning, assessment and evaluation (if applicable);
- relevant classroom observations;
- reports of independent investigators (if applicable); and
- any other relevant information provided by other persons or by the police.
The New Zealand Teachers Council normally sends the teacher a copy of all of the initial information that is received concerning him or her, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993 and the rules of natural justice. The teacher must be given an early opportunity to answer the allegations that have been made against him or her, and an opportunity to correct any information held on his or her file. The New Zealand Teachers Council will not generally consider any documents that the teacher has not seen. If you require any additional clarification of this aspect of the process, please contact the New Zealand Teachers Council.