Headteacher banned from the job after secret stash of booze found unlocked in office

Leanne Grove was suspended from Hazeldene School in Bedford in March 2023 after an empty gin and tonic can was spotted in her handbag by a teaching assistant.

An investigation was launched which found the 44-year-old kept a "large" amount of alcohol in her office - a room which was accessed by SEND pupils (special educational needs and disabilities.)

Bosses also found hauls of the opened and unopened alcohol in cupboards and containers in her office.

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As well as parents' evening, Ms Grove also admitted to drinking on the premises before governors' meetings.

A misconduct panel on behalf of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) ruled that the drinks could have been "accessed and consumed" by anyone entering the room, which Ms Grove admitted.

She was also found to have "stored alcohol in her office, when this was not permitted and she knew that to be the case."

In a written submission to the panel, Ms Grove said: "In the weeks proceeding my suspension I admit that I did consume alcohol on the premises – prior to a governors meeting and after a parents’ evening.

"I did this in my office when there were not pupils in school."

She didn't reveal how much she consumed but admitted she had "let down the whole school community."

She told the panel she had "moved on in terms of her career and had no desire to return to teaching."

The TRA concluded that Ms Grove's behaviour "amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession."

The panel said: "Ms Grove held a position of trust and responsibility as a headteacher and was required to be a role model to other staff and pupils.

"It is inappropriate to bring onto, and consume, alcohol within a school environment other than for specific, controlled and appropriate reasons: a large number of alcoholic drinks were located in Ms Grove’s office, some opened and some not.

"This amounted to a breach of her professional obligations, regardless of how much alcohol Ms Grove had consumed.

"There were also safeguarding and health and safety concerns given that, on the basis of the evidence available, the panel considered that the possibility of a pupil accessing alcohol was not remote.

"There was reference to the office occasionally being left unlocked and pupils, particularly when they were distressed, regularly using it.

"In that regard, Ms Grove showed a distinct lack of judgement. Even the presence of empty drinks being potentially visible to pupils was a matter of concern."

Signing off on the ban on behalf of education secretary Bridget Phillipson, civil servant David Oatley said: "There is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils."

Ms Grove has been banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

She can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside, but not until 2027, two years from the date of this order.