A teacher who lied about having stage 4 cancer and undergoing chemotherapy has been banned from the profession.

Ms Shaila Hussain, who was found to have lied about a number of personal circumstances, was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by a panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency. 

She will be able to apply to review the ban in five years’ time.

Ms Hussain was employed at The Downley School, in Buckinghamshire, from January 2017 until May 2019, when she resigned.

Ms Hussain admitted to a number of allegations made against her.

These included lying to the occupational health professional that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 tubal cancer and had chemotherapy in April to May 2018 and surgery to remove a cyst in August 2018.

She also accepted that in two capability meetings in 2019 she lied to the school about an individual having abused her and being detained in police custody.

‘A lack of integrity’

Ms Hussain was suspended from the school on 1 April 2019 and an investigation into her conduct was arranged. After this, she gave the school altered medical records to show that her cancer had progressed to stage 4 and that she had surgery.

She also fabricated a Macmillan Cancer Support letter. She later stated that the author of the letter “does not exist” and that she had forged the signature at the bottom of the letter.

She also provided the school with a falsified statement of fitness to work that referenced her terminal ovarian cancer, and later admitted that she had not been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer and that she had not been given a prognosis of six months to a year to live.

Ms Hussain, the report explains, accepted that her conduct was an attempt to halt or delay the capability proceedings that the school were bringing against her.

The report reads: “She also accepted that her conduct demonstrated a lack of integrity and was dishonest, and that her actions failed to adhere to the standards expected of the teaching profession.”

Evidence showed that Ms Hussain had to ask for help to manipulate the documents she provided to the school, which the panel considered as adding credibility to the idea that her actions were deliberate and planned.

Although a period of review to the ban has been recommended, the panel  “were particularly concerned that there was a lack of self-awareness and insight into her actions given the time that has since passed,” the report adds.