Council faces questions over vetting due to banned teacher

CHESHIRE East is facing questions about its staff vetting procedures after hiring an employee for its children’s services department who has since been banned from teaching.

- BY BELINDA RYAN

Susan Pletnick, who the council employed as a locality manager in its SEND (special educational needs and disability) team, was banned from teaching in February of this year.

This followed a hearing of the professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency. The 56-year-old can apply for the prohibition to be set aside in three years’ time.

The disciplinary tribunal found she "abused her role as a teacher" when she borrowed money from Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School in Salford, where she was employed at the time, from parents of pupils at the school, and a colleague.

Most of the money, which totalled more than £28,000, had not been repaid and the panel said her conduct "lacked integrity and was dishonest"

Mrs Pletnick was employed by the school from April 2013 to April 2019 and the matters being dealt with by the panel hearing in January of this year occurred between 2016 and 2019.