Teacher turned up drunk to primary school after lying about drink-driving conviction
A deputy headteacher has been banned from teaching after repeatedly turning up drunk to a Leicestershire primary school and lying about a previous drink-driving conviction.
Natalie Arcos-Diaz, 39, was found to have attended Eastfield Primary School in Thurmaston in an “unfit state” on five different occasions between September 2019 and February 2020.
A misconduct panel heard that she slurred her words, staggered during assemblies, and on one occasion told pupils she would cook them Christmas dinner on Valentine’s Day.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) ruled that Arcos-Diaz’s conduct had fallen “significantly short of the standards expected of the profession”.
The former acting head teacher was dismissed in May 2020 following a school investigation. Witnesses described multiple concerning incidents at the school involving Arcos-Diaz’s behaviour.
During one assembly in September 2019, she was “staggering a fair bit and was slightly incoherent and slurring her words”, according to evidence presented to the panel.
On another occasion, she entered the school office with “very slurred” speech, rolling eyes, and smelling of alcohol.
A staff member reported having to pull their head away when Arcos-Diaz “smelt quite strongly of wine”.
The alcohol smell was even noted as she sat with a child who was reading to her.
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On February 14, 2020, she confused pupils by announcing she would cook them Christmas dinner, with a witness noting that students were “confused as to why Arcos-Diaz was saying that, since it was Valentine’s Day”.
The panel also found Arcos-Diaz had lied about a previous drink-driving conviction when applying for the permanent headteacher position in February 2020.
She had been convicted in November 2018 after being involved in a motorway accident whilst three times over the legal alcohol limit.
When asked on the application form about any “convictions, cautions, reprimands, or final warnings”, she responded “no”.
Arcos-Diaz claimed she didn’t think she “needed to declare” a driving offence and had been advised by a colleague it wasn’t necessary.
However, the panel determined that by consulting a colleague, she had shown awareness it “may be an issue”.
Arcos-Diaz cannot teach in “any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England” during this period.
The panel noted that Arcos-Diaz, who did not attend the misconduct hearing, remained “in a state of denial” about her behaviour.
She had “continued to maintain” throughout the process that she “never went to work under the influence”.
In a statement, Arcos-Diaz said she was “sincerely regretful” of some “extremely poor decisions”.
She acknowledged her conduct “may well have had a negative impact on the school and wider communities which I regret”.
The panel feared they could not be assured that “repetition was unlikely” as she had not demonstrated “sufficient insight or accountability”.