Dodgy teachers will be named and shamed after a parliamentary select committee prompted the Teachers Council to review suppression rules.

The decision to review the rules around disciplinary tribunal meetings and how they are reported was made at a Teachers Council meeting yesterday.

Director Peter Lind said there would still be some case-by-case sensitivity around keeping some decisions private.

At present, the disciplinary tribunal writes a decision that is published on the Teachers Council website in an anonymous form. That would be reviewed, and also made public, Dr Lind said.

A review of the Teachers Council was launched in 2010, taking into account 177 submissions, interviewing individuals and groups from the education sector, considering New Zealand and international research, and looking at similar professional bodies in the health, legal and engineering sectors.

A report was produced with 24 recommendations and four key themes: a new professional body, the regulatory framework for teachers, the disciplinary framework, and resourcing to support the council.

The Teachers Council's automatic name suppression of any school staff subject to complaints was criticised by MPs and considered to fall outside the Education Act's intentions. As part of the review, the Education Act would also be tightened.

Dr Lind said the review of the Teachers Council was before the minister and awaiting a Cabinet decision. In the meantime, the council, which is legally able to change its own rules, would go ahead with the review, allowing for greater transparency and openness.

Dr Lind said the fine line was to ensure witnesses and their parents were still prepared to come forward and make statements.

"We need to find that balance between getting witness statements and having the flexibility to hold some cases in private when needed."

Post Primary Teachers' Association president Angela Roberts said she had no sympathy for hiding behind name suppression, but pointed out that was not always the case.

"The council needs to be able to balance the paramount need to protect children, but still enable teachers that are found innocent to also be protected."