Headteacher who ate raw garlic to disguise smell of booze is struck off

A Lincoln headteacher who appeared drunk at school has been banned from teaching.

Jeremy Tucker, 64, was suspended from Acorn School in 2018 after an investigation into his behaviour.

The Teaching Regulation Agency found that he was verbally abusive to pupils, often smelt of alcohol, and put students at risk.

On one occasion he told a misbehaving student “I’m going to knock your head off and s**t down your throat”.

He also referred to children at the alternative provision school on Calder Road as “idiots” and “a***holes”.

The tribunal heard from five former colleagues who said it was common for Mr Tucker to arrive smelling of alcohol, often dishevelled with bloodshot eyes.

He chewed raw garlic and used large amounts of aftershave to disguise the odour.

One pupil described him as looking “red eyed and stoned”.

Staff members found empty bottles of vodka hidden in his classroom, and another recalled him appearing unsteady and saying things that didn’t make sense.

He once told an assembly that they weren’t allowed to make sexually-explicit comments, then gave an example involving “big t*ts” that reportedly shocked the students.

The TRA was concerned how the verbal abuse may have affected students | Photo: Adobe Stock

The headteacher was also found to have put students at risk on several occasions.

He once stood in the corridor for ten minutes while unattended students worked on motorbikes using tools in a mechanical engineering classroom.

On another occasion, he left two vulnerable students cooking in a classroom on their own for an hour.

The tribunal heard he once became so angry while screaming at pupils that he flipped over a table.

He also employed asked a contractor to do casual work in school without running a DBS check on him.

Mr Tucker was suspended from his role in November 2018 while an investigation took place, and resigned shortly afterwards.

He didn’t attend the hearing, and his claim that all of the witnesses were conspiring against him was dismissed.

He has been banned for teaching indefinitely, and has to wait at least three years before asking for a review.

The TRA warned that the “inappropriate language was used on a regular basis, which caused a real concern about the lasting impact this may have had on students.”

A statement from the school says: “The governors of Acorn Secondary Alternative Provision (Free School) note that the work of the Teaching Regulation Agency in relation to Jeremy Tucker has now been completed and an outcome delivered through this independent process.

“The school cooperated with our TRA colleagues throughout and thank them for the work that they do on behalf of the teaching profession. Mr Tucker left the employment of Acorn in May 2019.”