Blackhall Primary School Teacher Spotted at Spa During School Hours
A Blackhall Primary School teacher was seen at a spa during school hours, raising concerns about her commitment to her role and student welfare.
Blackhall, UK, Joanna Clark, Blackhall Primary School, Teaching Misconduct
Blackhall: So, there’s this teacher, Joanna Clark, who used to be the head at Blackhall Primary School. She was there from 2009 to 2021, and things got a bit messy when she resigned during an investigation.
She had been working part-time but decided to go back full-time when the pandemic hit. She thought it was important to be there for the kids and make decisions. But then, on October 16, 2020, she was caught at a spa during school hours, just chilling and swimming.
Joanna admitted to going for a swim to clear her head, but she really regretted it afterward. The panel found out she had actually gone to the spa a couple more times while she was supposed to be at work.
When school started back up in September 2020, she was hardly ever reachable. Another staff member noticed she wasn’t in school on Fridays for ten weeks straight. Joanna claimed she was working from home, but it seems like she was just taking it easy.
On top of that, she didn’t do the necessary background checks for new staff and governors, and she ignored a broken fence that could have let kids escape the playground. The misconduct panel said her spa visits during school hours were a serious issue and didn’t meet the standards expected from teachers.
They found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct but decided not to ban her from teaching. Joanna expressed that she didn’t recognize herself during that time and felt terrible about working from home so much.
She admitted she should have been on-site to support her staff better. The panel noted that she seemed genuinely remorseful and had previously helped the school improve its Ofsted rating from Satisfactory to Good.
Blackhall Primary School has been reached out to for comments on the situation.