A primary school teacher has been struck off after allegedly falling over drunk at school and knocking into a child. Angela Simonson, 66, also left an open can of Stella Artois in an unlocked cupboard in a classroom where she taught eight and nine-year-olds at Central Primary School in Port Talbot, Wales.
Colleagues reported that Mrs Simonson was so intoxicated she could not stand upright. Lunchtime supervisor Christine Jarvis said during the midday break Mrs Simonson was 'stumbling' and 'using the wall to help her stand'. She added: 'She knocked into one of the children, waved her hands in the air and leaned against the wall. She was quite literally falling over drunk.'
Another teacher, Jonathan Toft, said: 'I realised I could smell alcohol on Angela. She was slurring, staggering and stinking of drink. We could smell it in the room, everybody could smell it.' Headteacher Robert Purchase expressed concern that the beer in the cupboard 'could have been accessed by a pupil at any time'.
At a misconduct hearing, Mrs Simonson denied drinking at school and claimed her behaviour was due to medication and wearing high-heeled boots. She said her 'bad breath' was from a low-carbohydrate diet and any smell of alcohol was from a dinner party the night before. She admitted finishing 'the dregs (no more than 50 millilitres) of a can of beer while washing up the next morning'.
An Education Workforce Council fitness to practice panel concluded she had consumed alcohol 'before or at work' or 'was under the influence of alcohol'. Panel chair Steve Powell said: 'She has not demonstrated any significant insight into her behaviour.' Mrs Simonson has been banned from teaching for two years and must provide health assessments if she wishes to return.
