School Principal Disqualified Following Student Misconduct on Ski Trip

A school principal has been disqualified from the teaching profession due to her failure to prevent students from shoplifting, consuming alcohol, and engaging in sexual activity during a ski trip. Justine Drury, formerly employed at CP Riverside School in Nottingham, oversaw an excursion to Switzerland in 2017, during which, according to a misconduct panel, teenagers engaged in sexual acts “on multiple occasions”. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) indicated that she did not secure parental consent for all participants and “did not take sufficient steps to reduce the risk of inappropriate behaviour by pupils,” which included an instance of a student reportedly stealing knives from a hotel kitchen. Mrs. Drury, aged 52, was found to have committed “unacceptable professional conduct,” and her prohibition order is scheduled for review following a five-year period. Mrs. Drury, who did not attend the hearing, had served as principal of the school—which offers “alternative education provision” for children aged 13 to 16 experiencing “behaviour or social issues”—since September 2015. Allegations concerning incidents from the trip emerged in November 2017, subsequently being referred to the TRA in December 2018. A witness statement presented to the panel revealed that among the 12 pupils participating in the trip, “10 had special educational needs, eight were known to be sexually active, seven were known to have substance misuse problems and three had current justice system involvement.” “In the panel’s view, certain pupils would have likely been identified as unsuitable for attending the ski trip if individual assessments had taken place,” the panel stated. Three staff members and two ski instructors were arranged for oversight, though one of the staff members was an apprentice. Although “some steps” were implemented to mitigate risks, such as accommodating boys and girls in rooms on separate floors, the panel concluded that “sexual activity had more than likely taken place throughout the course of the ski trip.” “The pupils were left unsupervised within their bedrooms, leaving them vulnerable to engaging in sexual activity,” the hearing noted. “It was evident insufficient steps had been taken to reduce the risk of sexual activity, as this likely took place on multiple occasions.” Despite the absence of pupil witnesses or statements for the hearing, the panel determined that Mrs. Drury “fundamentally failed to safeguard one or more pupils on the ski trip and acted in breach of a number of policies, procedures and guidance.” “[She] failed to put the interests of the school or pupils first and inhibited the effectiveness of measures, which could have taken place shortly after the incidents to safeguard the pupils,” the panel added. “[Her] failure to disclose the full scope of the incidents, which took place on the trip, fell far below the ethical standards expected of a teacher, particularly given her status as a head teacher.”