A PE teacher who agreed to take delivery of a package of cannabis worth £20,000 for a drug dealer has been banned from the classroom.
A conduct panel heard that Joseph Allen, who worked at Trinity High School and Sixth Form in Redditch, Worcestershire, was cautioned by police in October 2022, having earlier that year agreed to allow a parcel containing 1,040g of cannabis to be delivered to him.
On 5 May 2022, the parcel, addressed to Allen’s home. had been intercepted by a Border Force officer, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct panel heard.
During an interview with the force, Mr Allen admitted that he had agreed to allow the package, the contents of which West Mercia Police estimated would have a street value of £20,000, to be delivered, having been asked to do so by a drug dealer.
He told the school about it but offered a “misleading” explanation about the matter, saying he had agreed to receive the parcel but had no knowledge of what it would contain.
Allen said he had merely “done a favour for someone that he knew socially”. But when the police provided the school with an account that was contrary to the PE teacher’s, he admitted that he had fabricated the prior account and subsequently resigned from his position.
The school referred him to the TRA, which has now recommended he be banned from the profession until 2032, following a hearing last month.
The headteacher told the hearing that Allen was a “good teacher”, that he was “very popular amongst students” and had “lots of good qualities”.
The panel noted that the allegations took place outside the education setting but found them proved.
Allen’s remorse was limited, the panel said, adding that he had shown an overall lack of insight in respect of the conduct and its significance.
A report from the hearing said: “Whilst Mr Allen had made admissions to the allegations, the panel was of the view that through his oral evidence, he had qualified this in a way that was deflective and did not engage with the seriousness of the conduct.”
In banning Allen from the classroom, decision maker David Oatley said: “In my judgement, the lack of insight and full remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.”
He has been banned from the profession for six years. After which he can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside.
