Teacher banned after going to school while 'drunk'

A deputy head teacher has been banned from the profession after going into school apparently drunk on a number of occasions.

Natalie Arcos-Diaz, turned up to work at Eastfield Primary School in Thurmaston, Leicester, slurring her words and unsteady on her feet several times between September 2019 and February 2020, a misconduct hearing was told.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said she also failed to declare a drink-driving conviction application when she applied for the job as the school's head teacher.

The TRA said, on Monday, Ms Arcos-Diaz, 39, had been given an indefinite prohibition order, which will be reviewed after three years.

A report said Ms Arcos-Diaz's conduct had fallen "significantly short of the standards expected of the profession".

It added: "The findings of misconduct are serious as they include a teacher receiving a conviction for driving with excess alcohol, attending school unfit to work, and displaying behaviour that was dishonest and/or lacked integrity."

Ms Arcos-Diaz, who did not attend her misconduct panel hearing, was dismissed in May 2020 following a school investigation.

The misconduct panel heard evidence that Ms Arcos-Diaz took an assembly, in September 2019, and was "staggering a fair bit and was slightly incoherent and slurring her words".

On another occasion, she entered the school office when her speech was "very slurred, her eyes rolling, and she smelled of alcohol".

A witness described her behaviour as "erratic", the panel heard.

The panel was also told there was also an occasion when alcohol was smelled on her breath as she was sitting with a child who was reading to her.

The panel was further told that alcohol could be smelled on Ms Arcos-Diaz's breath on 14 February 2020, and told pupils she would cook them all a Christmas dinner.

A witness told the panel: "The pupils were confused as to why Ms Arcos-Diaz was saying that, since it was Valentine's Day, not Christmas."

A witness told the panel he had spoken to her at school at about 08:30 that day and believed that she was "drunk", since he could smell alcohol on her and her speech was unclear.

Ms Arcos-Diaz admitted not declaring her drink-driving conviction, from November 2018, but denied the other allegations that she had been unfit to work.

The panel found there were five occasions when it was "more likely than not" she had attended the school unfit for work due to alcohol and/or medication.

It also found she contacted staff members while she was suspended although she had been instructed not to.

The TRA report said: "The panel noted that Ms Arcos-Diaz stated 'how sincerely regretful I am off [sic] some extremely poor decisions that [she had] made that have undoubtedly led for [her] to be in this situation'."

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