It is disappointing that you use the word “quango” to refer to the General Teaching Council for England (“Disciplinary cases climb by 50%”, 29 July). While the attitudes and views of some of its salaried appointees might have been interpreted as those of a typical quango, the body itself, with more than 50 members directly elected by teachers or nominated by organisations independent of the Government, was anything but.

The GTC had just begun to wield its influence over the appointees and might have made strides towards a more common-sense approach had Michael Gove not thrown a hissy fit just because he didn’t agree with one regulatory hearing decision and didn’t grasp that the reason we didn’t strike off hundreds of incompetent teachers was because they weren’t referred to us in the first place.

Tom Trust, Ex-GTC council member, Redruth, Cornwall.