Primary school teacher who drank during lessons banned indefinitely

Steven Ward, 41, consumed alcohol on multiple occasions during lessons and was seen “under the influence of alcohol during school hours” on three separate days in November 2023 while working at Southwark Primary School in Basford, Nottingham.

Ward, who started working at the school as a trainee in 2014, was banned from teaching indefinitely by a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel who said he demonstrated “unacceptable professional conduct”.

The panel said Ward was seen “drinking from a blue Brewdog Punk IPA looking can”, hiding the drink in his bag and “consuming a mint after each sip” by witnesses in his class on November 9 2023.

A witness said that, while in class in the afternoon of November 10 2023, she saw Ward taking a beer can from his bag and that he “moved the can from his bag to his desk, behind a mug”, turning away from the pupils each time he drank.

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Another witness who had a meeting with Ward on November 13 2023 said they smelled a “strong smell of alcohol” when entering the meeting room, adding “it was a strong enough smell to notice it instantly when walking into a large two-person office”.

Ward, who was referred to the TRA in July 2024, denied all the allegations made against him.

The TRA panel said he showed a “lack of insight and remorse” during the hearing, meaning “there was a risk of repetition” which could put pupils at risk.

The panel report further said “public confidence in the profession could be seriously weakened” if actions like those of Ward were not treated with the “utmost seriousness”.

The indefinite prohibition order, issued on January 16 2026, cannot be reviewed until at least January 22 2029.