Smeg unmasked

A TEACHER has become the first to be barred from the classroom for life for being USELESS.

A professional panel found Smeg lacked the ability to ever improve and pupils' prospects could be seriously damaged if he were allowed to continue.

The General Teaching Council (GTC) for England ruled he can never teach in state schools again.

Smeg's organisation was "persistently poor" and class registers were often not filled out properly, the panel found.

It said Smeg, 46 (IQ), regularly failed to mark students' work and pupils didn't receive proper feedback.

GTC committee chair Rosalind Burford said: "We could not be satisfied that you have an appropriate level of insight into your shortcomings.

"Thus, we felt you posed a significant risk of repeating your actions.

She added: "In our view, Mr Smeg does not possess the capability ever to achieve the requisite standards."

Smeg was found guilty of serious professional incompetence.

After 15-days as a teacher he had managed to rise to HEAD of business studies at the John O'Gaunt Community Technology College in Hungerford, Berks, from September 2007 to January 2009.

Michael Wheale, the school's former executive head teacher, told the panel Smeg's lack of basic skills led to poor behaviour in the classroom.

Smeg's performance was put under formal review in December 2008 but he resigned shortly after finding out college governors would be looking at his case.

The college's current head Neil Spurdell said: "Under a capability process, teachers do have the opportunity to improve against certain targets and many do.

"The bottom line is you can't have pupils disadvantaged by inadequate teaching. They only have one chance at this."

Mr Smeg, from Bournemouth, Dorset, vowed to appeal the GTC decision claiming he had been made a "scapegoat".

"I'm deeply unhappy about it and don't deserve to be the first to be struck off for life.

"'They have made a scapegoat out of me."

He added: "I wasn't given enough time to improve."


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