A woman who was appointed head teacher of a Chippenham school, after hiding the fact she had been fired for gross misconduct from her previous headship at a school at Wythnshawe, Manchester, has now been banned from the country’s classrooms.

Lesley Haslam, 49, was banned from teaching for at least two years, after a disciplinary panel found her guilty of dishonesty in her application to Christian Malford Church of England Primary School in a decision made on behalf of Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) professional conduct panel found that, when applying to be head teacher at the school, she failed to declare that she had been dismissed from the post of head teacher at Haveley Hey Community School, Wythenshawe.

She was dismissed for gross misconduct in 2010 on the grounds of bullying staff and abusing a pupil.

Panel chair Ian Hughes said: "The Panel considers that there was a duty on Ms Haslam to disclose the fact of her dismissal.

"The Panel accepts that the Application Form is somewhat ambiguous and on a strict reading makes no specific requirement for the reason for leaving her last teaching job to be mentioned, although there is a note to applicants that 'deliberate omission or falsification of information could lead to the disqualification of your application or later dismissal, if appointed.'

“There is an expectation and duty of openness from professionals in public service, and that must also apply to those in the teaching profession when applying for new jobs."

He added that it was “irrelevant” that the allegations which were the basis for her dismissal from Haveley Hey Community School had later been dismissed by the investigating committee of the General Teaching Council, the predecessor to the NCTL.

He said: "The duty to mention something as significant as the fact of a dismissal for gross misconduct when applying for a role as a Head Teacher is not extinguished because the teacher's regulator does not consider there to be sufficient evidence to bring misconduct proceedings against them in respect of the same matters.”

From the way in which her letter had been written, he said that a reasonable reader would have concluded that the reason for leaving her last role as a Head Teacher in 2010 was because her father had become ill and she had chosen a different career path.

Finding that her actions were dishonest, he said that when asked about her employment gap in interview she gave an answer relating to her father's illness.

Recommending that she should be banned he said: “Her appointment to the role of Head Teacher at Malford School when she had not disclosed the fact of her previous dismissal resulted in a substantial adverse reputational impact on Malford School, whose position in the local community was already difficult, and some parents appear to have removed their children from the school as a result.

"Her actions led to a number of serious adverse consequences to the management of Malford School and some undoubted disruption to the education of its pupils.

"Both as a teacher and, in particular, as a Head Teacher Ms Haslam is a role model for pupils and young people. Her actions fell significantly short of those expected of such a person."

Giving the final decision and imposing the order on behalf of the Secretary of State, NCTL official Paul Heathcote said: "Ms Haslam’s behaviour includes dishonesty in that she sought to deliberately misled her potential employers by not declaring her previous dismissal."

He said that the panel had noted that this was an isolated act and that the level of her dishonesty, while serious, was "very much at the lower end of the scale”.

He continued: "Ms Haslam is regarded as being a competent member of the profession and she has indicated a desire to return to the profession.

"In the circumstances I agree with the Panel’s recommendation that Ms Haslam be allowed to apply to have the order set aside after a minimum period of two years has passed.”

The decision means that Haslam is prohibited from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

She may apply for the Prohibition Order to be set aside, but not until 19 January 2017, and if she does so she will have to persuade a panel that she is fit to return to the classroom.

She has a right of appeal to the High Court.