ABSTRACT
Whether or not exclusion appeal panel members fully recognize it, their role is judicial. As such, training is essential to ensure that principles of justice are properly applied, the legal framework (including the DFEE’s guidance to which panels are statutorily obliged to have regard) becomes familiar, and the independent judicial role is fully understood, particularly as most members of the panel are non-lawyers. Considerable emphasis on judicial training at tribunal level has been placed by the Lord Chancellor’s Department. In the case of education appeal panels in general there have been a number of local training initiatives (Council on Tribunals 1997b) and others by the Association of County Councils, with the Tribunals Committee of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB) becoming involved; but standards of local training have been variable (Council on Tribunals 1993: para. 2.59) as has the level of administrative and financial support for training.
