Primary school teacher who turned up drunk to assembly suspended

Telegraph

25-03-2025

A primary school teacher who turned up drunk to a school assembly has been suspended.
Ashley Atkin, 38, had drunk more than a bottle of wine and arrived at work smelling 'pungently' of alcohol.
The year one teacher was 'unsteady' on her feet and looked 'dazed' as she led her pupils into an assembly, it was heard. Her behaviour worried colleagues who reported their concerns before she was eventually driven home.
She has now been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute by a Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) professional conduct panel. She has been banned indefinitely from classrooms in England and Wales.
Ms Atkin was a teacher at Horn's Mill Primary School, Cheshire, in September 2023.
In October, a colleague noticed that Ms Atkin smelt of alcohol when she went into her classroom before the start of the day.
Moved 'slowly and gingerly'
She was said to be 'unsteady' on her feet and moved 'slowly and gingerly' when taking the children to assembly.
Ms Atkin then walked off to sit down on a chair away from her class as she 'looked dazed and was staggering'.
When it was time to present the school's weekly 'Big Cheese', she leant forward and asked a colleague: 'Who is big cheese?' before handing them the certificate and saying,'you do it'.
She was later taken into a meeting with bosses, where there was a 'pungent' smell of alcohol on her that was 'distinctive to drinking'.
In her disciplinary investigation interview the following month, Ms Atkin admitted that she drank a bottle of white wine and another small glass of wine the evening before.
She resigned from her role before the investigation was concluded.
Despite initially claiming that she thought she was 'fit to teach' in the investigation meeting, in correspondence with the TRA last month, she said: 'I'm absolutely devastated about what happened and it's all I can think about.'
She added that she was now in a 'much better place'.
Guilty of unacceptable professional conduct
Melissa West, who chaired the panel, said: 'The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Atkin fell significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher in that she presented at work after consuming alcohol and smelling of alcohol and for safeguarding reasons could not be left in charge of her class for the day.
'The panel was satisfied that Ms Atkin was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.'
She continued: 'Ms Atkin was teaching on Oct 20 2023; she went to work, on her evidence, having drunk a bottle and a glass of wine during the early hours of the morning.
'She was seen to be staggering, her eyes were glazed, and she appeared drunk.
'Ms Atkin was unprepared to start the school day and unable to lead her class in the assembly to be seated.'
The hearing was told that she had admitted drink driving at Cheshire magistrates' court just months previously in July 2023 and had been fined and banned from driving for 18 months as a result.
The panel heard that she had been over twice the legal limit for alcohol and was stopped by police as her driving was 'poor' and 'very hesitant' when turning a corner.
'Not an isolated incident'
Mrs West said this showed that the proven allegations were 'not isolated incidents, and both incidents in June and October 2023 involved alcohol'.
Marc Cavey, a civil servant who signed off on the ban on behalf of Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said: 'The lack of evidence that Ms Atkin has developed full insight into and remorse for her actions means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this jeopardises the future wellbeing of pupils.'
Ms Atkin cannot reapply to the profession for two years and has 28 days to appeal the ruling.