A former policing adviser to the home secretary has been named the first chief executive of the new Teaching Regulation Agency.
The agency will be responsible for the regulation of the teaching profession, supporting employers, schools and headteachers with safeguarding responsibilities.
It will include taking action on allegations of serious teacher misconduct and helping employers to complete pre-recruitment checks to ensure that they are employing teachers who are appropriately qualified for their role.
Alan Meyrick is currently a deputy director in the teacher services division at the Department for Education and has experience of regulating the profession, having worked as a registrar at the General Teaching Council for England for 11 years, before spending a further year as its chief executive.
Teaching Regulation Agency ‘important’
He joined the Home Office in 1985 before going on to be the principal adviser to the Home Secretary on policing in London, sitting on the Metropolitan Police Committee and working at the General Medical Council.
He said: “The agency has an important role to play in supporting the teaching profession to maintain the highest professional standards.
“Through our work we will protect pupils, maintain public confidence in the teaching profession and uphold high standards of teacher conduct.
“In addition, we will support those teachers who have qualified outside of England and are able to apply to have their professional standing recognised in this country. I will lead the agency according to the seven principles of public life, and I want to ensure that all decisions are made fairly and in the public interest.”
The appointment follows the DfE’s decision to take over teacher recruitment functions from the National College for Teaching and Leadership, with the NCTL’s role in regulating the profession, including misconduct hearings, going to the Teaching Regulation Agency.
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