Primary school teacher 'pulled sickie' and ripped out passport pages to hide stag do trip abroad
The ruse was uncovered after a member of staff discovered photos of Mr Wilson in an airport with a pint of beer in his hand
A primary school teacher “pulled a sickie” to go to Portugal for a stag do and later ripped out pages of his passport to cover his tracks, a tribunal has found.
Listen to this article
Joe Wilson, a year six teacher from South Yorkshire, secretly went on holiday in May 2023, after telling his school on the morning he was due to fly that he couldn't come to work because he had been "up all night sick".
The ruse was uncovered after a member of staff discovered photos of Mr Wilson in an airport with a pint of beer in his hand.
At around 5am on May 18th, Mr Wilson messaged Listerdale Junior Academy: “I’m still no better so won’t be in school today. Can’t keep any food or water down. I’ll keep you updated.”
The following day he told the same person: “I’m still no better so won’t be in school today. Can’t keep any food or water down. I’ll keep you updated.”
Read more: Two men found guilty over knife attack on journalist in UK for Iranian regime
However, pictures of Mr Wilson in an airport with a pint of beer were flagged up by an anonymous member of staff, the panel heard.
Another person then posted one of these photographs at 5.23am on the morning of May 18 2023, captioned: “Early start for… stag do, few beers with Portugal gaffer.”
Though Mr Wilson initially claimed that the photos were taken from a previous holiday, he admitted to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) that he “agreed to attend a stag do in Lison” and he “made a huge error of judgement".
In October, he told the TRA that he accepted full responsibility for his actions, including falsifying a sickness.
He later admitted via email that he “pulled a sickie to go on (his) mate's stag do.”
To cover his tracks, Mr Wilson removed pages from his passport after the headteacher told him to show something to get them off his case.
An investigation report found that Mr Wilson, who handed his passport to someone from the school in June 23, had pages 9, 10, 27, and 28 missing, according to the tribunal.
He said he was “ashamed” of his actions.
“In falsely reporting his sickness absence and providing an altered document during an investigation, Mr Wilson was intentionally misleading the school and concealing the truth,” the panel said in its judgement.
“The panel considered that Mr Wilson’s behaviour fell below the ethical standards expected of a teacher and was contrary to the manner in which the profession professes to serve the public.”
It further found that his conduct lacked integrity, was dishonest, and that his actions may bring the profession into disrepute.
The panel judged that a prohibition order, which would see Mr Wilson banned from teaching, was not proportionate but that the publication of the findings would be enough.