The GTCE has announced a new code of conduct for teachers in which they can be held professionally accountable for their conduct when off duty and not in contact with children.

And I’ve decided that I am in favour.

But you know me by now: I have also decided that there are preconditions to this.

1. Let’s apply a code of conduct for politicians and others in public life, too. If they do anything that "brings the profession into disrepute " then sack them, immediately. It would be fair.
2. Due diligence. It’s about time that the GTC and the teacher-bashing industry as a whole adopted this. Ofsted, as we know, described Haringey Council as "outstanding" just weeks before Baby P was murdered while under one of its child protection orders. Ofsted then complained that Haringey gave it "misleading" data. In an interview with R4 last week, the Chief Inspector of schools, Christine Gilbert, said that she had asked all authorities to "provide assurances" that they would not mislead Ofsted – and she was satisfied with their answers. Oh yeah? I can assure my wife that I will not look at another woman’s arse again – do you believe me? My point is that anyone who has endured half a dozen Ofsted inspections knows how schools and authorities mislead inspectors and, more importantly, how inspectors knowingly look the other way. It happens all the time, and denying it only makes those in charge look like two-faced twats.
3. How about a code of conduct for teachers when on-duty? In fact, let’s be specific – a code of conduct for headteachers when on duty. Did you know, for example, that a teacher’s complaint about their headteacher can only be made to their headteacher, and is investigated at the discretion of the same headteacher? Conflict of interest, much?
4. Repricocity. If a teacher can lose his or her job for not living up to the standards expected, let’s apply the same test to parents. Every school has them – parents who train and support their children to disrupt lessons, undermine the educational opportunities of classmates, and ruin the health of their teachers.