12-05-2025
Nottingham primary schoolteacher used crystal meth at weekends
A "talented" former assistant head teacher has admitted using crystal meth during his time at the Smith, who worked at Southwark Primary School in Basford, Nottingham, used methamphetamine between 2020 and 2022 in a social group setting at Smith, who resigned from the school in October 2022, told the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) he has since moved to London and stopped taking the drug.A TRA panel found him guilty of "unacceptable professional conduct" but ruled a classroom ban was not "proportionate" or "in the public interest".
Crystal methamphetamine is a strong and highly addictive manmade drug that affects the central nervous system. There is no legal use for Smith had started at Southwark Primary in 2016 as a teacher before being promoted to assistant head in a year later he began using the drug "at weekends only, in a social group setting" the hearing was told.
'Extremely talented'
He took a period of sick leave in 2021, after informing the school, and an action plan was put in place allowing him to return to was no suggestion his drug use impacted his "appearance of professional behaviour", the TRA hearing was praised Mr Smith as "extremely talented" and "a great role model for a lot of other teachers".He was again off work following a relapse in January 2022, and resigned in October of that 2023, Mr Smith has been working as a teacher at a primary in Tower current school is aware of his previous use of "hard drugs", the panel was told.
