A West London teacher has been banned from the profession for at least five years after a series of alcohol-related incidents involving children, a Teaching Regulation Agency tribunal has found.
Ms Alexandra Zbanca, 41, a Special Educational Needs teacher, was convicted of drink-driving with a child in her car in 2022. Months later, in February 2023, she began working at Pentland Field School in Ickenham, where colleagues reported she was so intoxicated she could not walk in a straight line and attempted to teach a class while drunk, eventually falling over.
The tribunal heard that in June 2022, Ms Zbanca crashed her car while under the influence of alcohol, with a child in the passenger seat. Police found two empty wine bottles in nappy bags, which the panel said was an attempt to conceal her drinking. A social worker's report described the incident as 'very serious and severe negligence' that 'could have ended up in a tragedy'.
At Pentland Field School, a colleague found Ms Zbanca 'inconsolable' and struggling to walk straight. When asked if she had been drinking, she admitted 'Yes'. Staff discovered two unsealed bottles of wine and a water bottle smelling of wine in her bag. Ms Zbanca said she had been drinking at a pub before coming to school and had transferred the wine into a water bottle.
The panel also found that Ms Zbanca had failed to safeguard a child in her care, who attended school 'smelling of urine and without underwear'. Ms Zbanca claimed the smell came from hair gel, but the panel was not convinced. She declined support for alcohol misuse.
Ms Zbanca did not attend the tribunal hearing. The panel imposed a prohibition order with a review period of five years, meaning she cannot teach in any school in England until at least 2029.
