TEACHERS facing allegations of incompetence and misconduct are expected to escape disciplinary action due to the abolition of the General Teaching Council for England, it emerged today.

Many cases referred to the GTCE since August last year will not have time to be heard before the council closes at the end of March, an investigation by the Times Educational Supplement found.

Instead the Teaching Agency, which will replace the GTCE, will hear only the most serious misconduct cases that could lead to teachers being struck off.

The GTCE said none of the 323 cases that it has been passed since August has so far been deemed serious enough for transfer to the Teaching Agency, although investigations are continuing.

All hearing dates between now and then are understood to have been filled.

The teaching council has often been criticised for the relatively small number of teachers that have been struck off under its watch.

Last month it emerged that 228 teachers had been banned from the classroom by the GTCE since 2001, with 211 of those being prohibited from teaching for misconduct.

The remaining 17 were struck off for incompetence, according to the figures released by Schools Minister Nick Gibb.

The abolition of the GTCE was one of the first major announcements made by Michael Gove when he became education secretary.

GTC registrar Paul Heathcote said: “A smooth transfer from the GTCE to the new system of regulation is clearly in the interests of all concerned.

“As the Teaching Agency will not be dealing with competence cases, and will only hear conduct cases that may lead to barring, there will inevitably be some cases referred under the current system that will no longer lead to hearings in the future.

“Given the time frames involved in investigating, collecting evidence and scheduling hearings, it was clear that the GTCE would be unlikely to complete hearings where cases were received after the end of August this year.

“Therefore since that point all new referrals have been or are in the course of being assessed as to whether they would lead to a hearing under the new system. Only those that would do so are being progressed further and these will be prepared and transferred to the Teaching Agency.

“These transition plans aim to make the best use of resources and minimise delays by not taking forward cases that GTCE panels would not be able to hear and that won’t be heard under the new system.”

He added: “We hope this approach will avoid unnecessary stress on teachers and others such as witnesses, by being able to inform promptly those involved in cases where no further action is to be taken.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “No teacher whose standards fall below an acceptable level will go unpunished.

“All the most serious cases of misconduct that could lead to teachers being barred will be transferred to the new Teaching Agency if the GTCE does not have time to conclude them. All other cases will be dealt with by heads themselves where appropriate.

“The new system will ensure that serious cases are dealt with much more quickly.”