A former headteacher at Hazeldene School in Bedford has been banned from teaching until at least 2027 after a professional conduct panel found she stored alcohol in her office and attended school having consumed alcohol.
Leanne Grove, 44, was the headteacher at the primary school from January 2020 until her resignation in May 2023.
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel met in October this year and found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct which may bring the profession into disrepute.
She has been given a prohibition order preventing her from teaching in any school, sixth form or children’s home in England. She can apply to have the order reviewed in 2027.
Alcohol in head’s office and SEND area
According to the panel’s written decision, concerns were first raised on 2 March 2023 when a teaching assistant found a handbag near Ms Grove’s desk that contained one empty and one unopened can of gin and tonic.
The assistant headteacher reported the matter to the vice chair of governors and the local authority designated officer, and Ms Grove was suspended the following day while her office was searched.
The panel found that Ms Grove had stored alcohol in the headteacher’s office when she was not permitted to do so. It also found that alcohol was kept in rooms used by pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, in open containers and in unlocked cupboards.
Video recordings of the office showed various alcoholic drinks, and the panel noted clear evidence that SEND pupils used the room, including when they were distressed.
In its decision, the panel said the possibility of a pupil accessing alcohol was not remote, and that even the presence of empty drink cans visible to pupils was “a matter of concern”.
At school after drinking
The panel also considered events around 1 March 2023. It found that Ms Grove brought alcohol onto the school premises that day when she was not permitted to do so and that she attended school on a working day having consumed alcohol.
In written submissions to the panel, Ms Grove accepted that she had consumed alcohol on the premises in the weeks before her suspension, including before a governors’ meeting and after a parents’ evening, and that this was in her office when pupils were not in school.
There was no evidence before the panel that any pupil had seen or consumed alcohol. However, the panel said that bringing and keeping alcohol on school premises, and attending school having drunk alcohol, represented a serious failure to meet the standards expected of a headteacher.
Serious misconduct
In reaching its decision, the panel said Ms Grove’s behaviour was a serious departure from the Teachers’ Standards, particularly in relation to safeguarding pupils’ wellbeing and acting as a role model to staff and children.
The panel concluded that her conduct was “misconduct of a serious nature” which fell significantly short of what the public is entitled to expect of a teacher in a position of trust and leadership. It also found that the behaviour could damage public confidence in the profession.
Mitigating factors were taken into account, including that she had not previously been subject to disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, had engaged with the process, had made full admissions, and had expressed regret and remorse, saying she had let down the whole school community.
However, the panel said the public interest in safeguarding pupils, maintaining confidence in the profession and upholding proper standards meant a prohibition order was appropriate.
The panel recommended that she be banned from teaching, with the option to apply to have the order reviewed after a minimum period.
A senior official acting on behalf of the Secretary of State agreed with the panel’s recommendation and imposed the prohibition order, confirming that Ms Grove can apply for it to be reviewed in 2027, but that there is no guarantee it will be lifted at that point.
Hazeldene School has not issued a public statement regarding the TRA decision. The panel’s findings relate to Ms Grove’s conduct while employed as a headteacher and do not suggest that any pupils consumed alcohol.
Prohibition order
The prohibition order means Ms Grove is barred from teaching in any school, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
MS Grove has 28 days from the date of the order to appeal. After that time, if she chooses to apply for the order to be set aside in 2027, an independent panel would consider whether she should be allowed to return to the profession.
Until such a review is carried out and the order lifted, she remains prohibited from teaching
