Former Head and Deputy Misused £250,000 of Henley School Funds
Two former school leaders in Henley have been banned from teaching for misusing significant funds over a decade
Henley, UK, River House School, Mike Turner, Simon Constantinou, Teaching Regulation Agency
Henley: So, here’s the scoop. The former head and deputy of River House School got into some serious trouble for misusing a whopping £250,000 of school funds. They’ve been banned from teaching, and it’s a big deal.
Mike Turner, who led the school since 2000, and his deputy Simon Constantinou, who joined in 2004, were found guilty of some pretty shady financial practices. The Teaching Regulation Agency looked into it after a staff member raised concerns about possible financial irregularities.
Things started to unravel back in 2015 when an audit was requested. Constantinou was suspended, and Turner retired shortly after. It turns out Turner had been pocketing overpayments for a recruitment allowance that he wasn’t supposed to keep. He was supposed to get a one-time payment, but he kept getting paid for years.
One witness even said he owed £36,000 back but hadn’t paid a dime. Turner claimed he never asked for those payments, but the panel wasn’t buying it. They felt he knew he was in the wrong.
On top of that, Turner made a big IT services deal worth around £180,000 without getting the necessary approvals. That’s a big no-no, especially since it didn’t follow the rules for spending over £5,000.
As for Constantinou, he was found to have claimed a ton of overtime and mileage expenses that just didn’t add up. The panel thought his claims were way too high and not credible at all. They felt he should have known better.
In the end, both of them fell way short of what’s expected from teachers. Turner can apply to have his ban lifted in five years, while Constantinou can do so in four. They were also previously charged with theft but were cleared back in 2018.