THE former deputy head of an Abertillery primary school who faces allegations of 'serious professional incompetence' said she accepted that there were occasions when she hadn't planned lessons adequately.

Cerys Hands, who taught at Victoria Primary School, faces 10 separate allegations of 'serious professional incompetence' from January 2012 to April 30, 2014.

She appeared before a professional competence committee hearing of the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) at Park Hotel in Cardiff today.

The allegations include that she did not complete planning on some occasions if at all and that there were large gaps in pupil's learning due to Miss Hands not covering the whole curriculum.

Other allegations include Miss Hands failed to consistently deliver lessons to a required standard and that she failed to mark pupils work regularly or in line with the school's policy.

Miss Hands accepted that on occasion she has not adequately planned for lessons. The hearing heard that Miss Hands had agreed with the head teacher Joy Dando that she would complete her own daily planning schedule as opposed to the school's weekly planning system.

Miss Hands was signed off work with sickness for a period of nearly three months from November 2012 due to stress and depression.

She told the hearing that when she was off ill she would email a lesson plan in the form of bullet points for a supply teacher instead of using the usual format.

Gwilym Roberts-Harry, representing Miss Hands, told the hearing that she has been a teacher at the school from 2005 and became acting deputy head in 2009.

He said that no issues had been raised about Miss Hands in that time period or in a performance review in September 2012.

Miss Hands said: "If I raised concerns about something it would come back on me. I would try to speak up for myself and Miss Dando would blame me for something.

"There would be extra pressure put on me for something. She would find a fault.

"Every time I tried to speak up for myself she would say something against me."

She added: "I felt as I have said earlier - I've never had any problems up until I was ill. I was scared of what would happen to me after the time off because I didn't know when I was going to be coming back to school with Miss Dando."

The hearing heard there were gaps in pupils work in relation to maths and Welsh. Miss Hands told the hearing that there was a set structure for maths at the school and that she may not have taught the pupils who were in her usual Year 3 class for mathematics.

The panel are to deliver their verdict later this afternoon.

Proceeding.