A Scottish teacher has been reprimanded after she was caught lying about her principal teacher role on a job application.
Jillian Hamilton-Cooper claimed she had been a faculty head at Calderhead High School in Shotts, North Lanarkshire when she applied for a job at Armadale Academy in Bathgate, West Lothian, in October 2020.
However, West Lothian Council found it was false when they contacted her employers for a reference. The biology teacher has now been handed a 12 month conditional registration order for lying.
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The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) heard in September of this year how Hamilton-Cooper alleged she was a principal teacher of the science department at Calderhead High School.
Hamilton-Cooper agreed with her headteacher that she would withdraw her application for the job at Armadale Academy after she was found out back in November 2020.
Hamilton-Cooper would also tell colleagues that “on reflection the role was too big for her at that moment in time”.
However, just three months later in February last year further cause for concern arose when Hamilton-Cooper applied for another principal teacher position and asked for a reference.
The GTCS heard from witnesses including Hamilton-Cooper’s headteacher at the time saying: “Witness 1 (Headteacher) speaks to feeling unable to provide a positive reference for the teacher especially in light of their agreement she would not apply for further posts for a few years and until she had undertaken professional development.
“Witness 1 also speaks to a concern about the teacher advising a probationary teacher how to complete an application form, which had been hugely exaggerated.
“The probationer teacher confirmed that she [Hamilton-Cooper] told him to do this.”
In reprimanding Hamilton-Cooper the GTCS said: “The panel was satisfied that the admitted allegations amounted to misconduct and the teacher fell short of the standards expected.
“The panel considered COPAC and determined that the teacher’s conduct at the time of the allegations amounted to significant breaches of parts 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 of COPAC.
“The panel were not convinced that the teacher was fully aware of the seriousness of her conduct, evidenced by her applying for another position.
“The panel determined that the conditional registration order should remain in place for a period of 12 months, as it felt this period of time was sufficient to allow for remediation.”
Hamilton-Cooper must now inform any organisation or person employing her as a teacher or in a post for which GTCS registration is required from Friday onwards.
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