A former Black Country headteacher falsely charged her school nearly £3,000 for a Caribbean holiday, a disciplinary panel ruled today.
Susan Duncan made false expenses claims for the 2006 getaway while employed at The Meadows School, in Oldbury, according to the General Teaching Council (GTC) committee.
It further ruled she failed to notify authorities that four members of a colleague’s family were also on the Jamaica trip.
The committee considering her case in Birmingham, also found Miss Duncan had made a false claim of £306 for an excursion to go swimming with dolphins in Antigua.
For both foreign jaunts, the 51-year-old told authorities she was carrying out risk assessments with a view to taking pupils away in the future.
Miss Duncan was found guilty of unacceptable professional misconduct.
Committee chair Ralph Ullmann said: “As a headteacher she had a duty to set standards of integrity.
“We found that she failed to do so. This is a serious matter, Miss Duncan has taken advantage of the authority granted to her in financial matters and trust placed in her by the governing body, the LEA, and the school.”
The committee was due to return later today with a decision on Miss Duncan’s fate.
Rita Simcox, a former colleague whose family went to Jamaica, was cleared of unacceptable professional misconduct.
