Teacher's Deception Uncovered: A Stag Do in Portugal
A primary school teacher, Joe Wilson, who works at Listerdale Junior Academy in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was found to have lied about being sick to attend a stag do in Lisbon. His actions were discovered during an investigation by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).
Wilson claimed he was unwell on multiple occasions in May 2023, stating that he had been "up all night being sick" and had a "really bad headache." He also mentioned that he could not keep any food or water down. However, it was later revealed that he was actually in Portugal for a stag do.
The deception came to light when an anonymous staff member shared photos on Facebook showing Wilson at an airport with a suitcase and a pint of beer. One post was captioned: "Early start for... stag do, few beers with the Portugal gaffer."
Wilson sent messages to a senior colleague claiming he was too ill to work. He messaged: "I'm not going to be in school today. I've been up all night being sick and have got a really bad headache." The following morning, he sent another message saying: "I'm still no better so won't be in school today. Can't keep any food or water down. I'll keep you updated."
By May 22, he messaged again to say: "I'll be in school today." When confronted, Wilson initially denied being in Portugal and claimed the photos were from a previous trip. Eventually, he admitted to taking a sickie to go on his mate's stag do and accepted full responsibility for falsifying his sickness.
During the school disciplinary investigation, Wilson handed over his passport, but four pages were found missing. When asked why the pages were missing, he replied: "I don't know." Later, he admitted removing a page from his passport. In a written statement to the TRA, he said he had made a "huge mistake" and was "ashamed" of his actions.
The panel concluded that the missing pages likely contained stamps showing Wilson was out of the country on the days he had claimed to be sick. Wilson was not present at the virtual hearing where he was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that could bring the teaching profession into disrepute.
Panel chair Gamel Byles stated that Wilson's behavior was dishonest, noting that he had "a clear intention to prevent the school from finding out about his attendance on a stag do abroad." Byles added that any ordinary person would find Wilson's conduct concerning, as he was absent from his teaching duties without authorization and lied about his whereabouts.
The panel considered that the public would view Wilson's continued dishonesty during the investigation and his attempt to conceal his location by removing pages of his passport as completely unacceptable. They noted that his behavior fell below the ethical standards expected of a teacher.
Byles emphasized that Wilson's actions were intentionally misleading the school and concealing the truth. The panel also pointed out that Wilson received sick pay for two days and did not offer to return the sum. Additionally, they noted that tampering with a passport can amount to a criminal offense.
In a written statement, Wilson expressed his shame over his actions and acknowledged that he had made a mistake and tried to cover it with another mistake. Despite the serious findings, the panel did not recommend that Wilson be banned from teaching.
The panel ruled that publishing its findings against Wilson would be "sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that are not acceptable." They stated that his misconduct "did not ultimately cause any harm to pupils" and "whilst not to be condoned, was not at the most serious end."
Signing off on the decision on behalf of the education secretary Bridget Phillipson, civil servant David Oatley said: "A prohibition order would prevent Mr Wilson from teaching, were he able to return to work, and so clearly deprive the public of his contribution to the profession."
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