Teacher who pretended to observe lessons barred

A teacher who provided a false account of a lesson she had pretended to observe has been barred from the profession.

Karen Horler, who worked at The Co-operative Academy in Leeds, had wrongly claimed to have witnessed a demonstration from a teaching assistant candidate in class, the Teaching Regulation Agency found.

Horler, who had worked at the school since 2014, was also found to have completed paperwork on behalf of a colleague and signed his name without his knowledge or consent.

A misconduct panel said Horler's actions were "misleading and dishonest" and ruled she be banned from teaching indefinitely.

The panel was told that the school held interviews for a teaching assistant position in September 2023, for which candidates were expected to perform a lesson to a group of special needs pupils.

It was said that Horler had sent an email to two people in which she had submitted a "detailed written observation" of a candidate's lesson, despite having found to have not been present.

Horler, who did not attend the hearing, had denied the claims and said she had never pretended to have seen the lesson. She said she had made it clear her feedback was "second-hand".

But the panel found the allegations, plus a separate claim that she had completed a colleague's induction review forms and included his signature without his knowledge or consent, proven.

She was, however, cleared of two allegations she had failed to conduct regular visits to a pupil's home in 2023 and had failed to keep up-to-date records of those visits.

It was said both those claims were found not proven on the balance of probabilities.

According to the hearing summary, Horler left the school in December 2023.

Under the panel's ruling, she will be able to apply to have her prohibition order lifted after two years.

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