Staff disciplinary hearings: guidance and procedures

Know how to put together a panel and arrange and conduct a hearing as a chair or governance professional. If you're on a panel, find out what will happen during the hearing, and how to make your decision.

Last reviewed on 9 February 2024
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 3759
Contents
  1. Your board's role in disciplinary hearings
  2. Chairs: put together your panel
  3. Governance professionals: arrange the hearing
  4. The hearing 
  5. Make your decision

Before you start to arrange a hearing, make sure you know your school or trust's staff disciplinary procedure

This article gives you best practice at all stages of arranging and carrying out a staff disciplinary hearing. However, your school may do things differently, so follow your school's policy to make sure you're doing everything right. 

Your board's role in disciplinary hearings

It's usually the headteacher's decision to call a disciplinary hearing. They will send the formal notification of the hearing to the employee.

If it's the headteacher who's the subject of the disciplinary procedure, different considerations apply, and in that case it's usually the chair of governors who will call the hearing.

As a governor, your role is to sit on the panel and:

It's not your job to decide what the disciplinary action will be, if any –