Mrs Joyce Miller

Introduction

Mrs Joyce Miller was a supply teacher with a 24-year teaching career and no previous regulatory intervention. On 5 October 2022, during a placement at the William Harding Combined School in Aylesbury, she grabbed, pushed and poked four pupils while trying to manage the class. A police investigation followed, and in March 2023 she accepted a caution for three offences of common assault against pupils. At a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel meeting in January 2024 she admitted the allegations in a signed statement of agreed facts. The panel found both allegations proved and found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and of conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, recommending a prohibition order with a four-year review period. On 5 February 2024 the decision maker, Marc Cavey, banned her from teaching indefinitely.

Background Information

Miller was employed by Supply Desk, a supply teacher agency, between March 2022 and October 2022, and accepted a placement at the William Harding Combined School — a school she had not previously taught at. Following her attendance on 5 October 2022, a number of pupils raised concerns about her physical interactions with them. The disclosures led to investigations by the school, the Local Authority Designated Officer and the police, and as a result of the police investigation she received a caution. The TRA agreed to her request that the allegations be considered without a hearing; the panel met virtually on 30 January 2024 without Mrs Miller, her representative or the presenting officer present.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Admitted findings. Mrs Miller admitted the allegations — and that they amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct which may bring the profession into disrepute — in a statement of agreed facts signed on 26 January 2024. The panel was satisfied the admissions were unequivocal and found both allegations proved.

It was alleged that, whilst a supply teacher at the William Harding Combined School, she engaged in inappropriate physical contact with one or more pupils on or around 5 October 2022: grabbing Pupil B’s shoulder and/or arm, grabbing Pupil A by the shoulders and/or back of their neck, pushing and/or poking Pupil C, and grabbing and/or pushing Pupil D. The statement of agreed facts set out the day incident by incident: Pupil B’s shoulder grabbed to stop them walking around, then their arm grabbed to guide them back; Pupil A’s water bottle taken and their shoulder, then the back of their neck, grabbed to guide them back; Pupil C pushed on the back after refusing to return to their seat; and Pupil D grabbed by the arm and pushed back for trying to leave the wet area.

The second allegation concerned the police caution. Miller was interviewed under caution on 18 October 2022, providing written statements which began: “I dispute the allegations being made against me.” She accepted taking a pupil’s bottle and guiding a pupil back with a palm on their back, but said she applied no force. Interviewed again on 24 March 2023, she accepted pushing a pupil, said she was extremely sorry, and accepted she may have grabbed pupils’ shoulders. She explained she had expected to teach Year 2 but arrived to find Year 4, and felt out of her depth. She agreed a caution that day for three offences of common assault under section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 against Pupil A, Pupil B and Pupil C.

The panel found the conduct breached the Teachers’ Standards, including treating pupils with dignity, observing proper boundaries and safeguarding pupils’ well-being. Although the actions were confined to one day, they were directed towards four pupils, so could not be considered a mere temporary lapse, and there was no evidence physical intervention was necessary or reasonable. Pushing, grabbing and poking fell at the lower end of the spectrum of ‘violence’, but the offence was relevant given her admission of three assaults on pupils. She was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, and her conduct amounted to conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel found strong public interest considerations in the protection of pupils, the maintenance of public confidence in the profession and upholding proper standards, given findings that included the use of unlawful force against pupils. It observed that “Parents and members of the public expect schools to be a place of safety for their children and for them not to be physically manhandled by teachers as a general behaviour management tool.” The panel accepted the incident appeared out of character after 24 years without regulatory intervention and recognised a level of remorse, but was concerned that, as she did not at first recognise her own misconduct, her insight might not be fully developed. She provided no character references or training material showing how she would handle a difficult class, leaving the risk of repetition too high. Publication of findings alone would not be proportionate; prohibition was. The risks were remediable, and while she could plausibly address them within two years, the wider public interest given the ‘violence’ required longer — hence four years. It recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect and a four-year review period.

Current Status

The decision maker, Marc Cavey, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, issued his decision on 5 February 2024, following the panel’s determination of 30 January 2024. Mrs Joyce Miller is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. She may apply for the order to be set aside, but not until 8 February 2028 at the earliest — not an automatic right; a future panel would consider any application, and without a successful one she remains prohibited indefinitely. She had a right of appeal to the King’s Bench Division of the High Court within 28 days of notice of the order.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The order ends a 24-year career in teaching at the point Miller had already told the TRA she had retired. The panel accepted the incident appeared out of character following a career without previous regulatory intervention, but the decision maker placed considerable weight on the serious nature of the misconduct and the lack of evidence of full insight and remorse, giving less weight to her contribution to the profession. A published decision not backed by full remorse or insight would not, in his view, satisfy the public interest in maintaining public confidence in the profession. The four-year review period was judged a proportionate response to misconduct of this seriousness.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mrs Joyce Miller” — source