A former Emmbrook Primary School teacher who was accused of being under the influence of alcohol during the school day has been banned from the profession.

Teacher Micheal Downes, 67, was called to a professional conduct hearing with the Teaching Regulation Agency in January after being suspended from the school over reports of being drunk on site.

The hearing considered allegations that the primary school teacher was ‘acting strange’ and ‘couldn’t walk properly’ due to being under the influence of alcohol in school.

A panel, made up of three people from the teaching profession, examined evidence and witness statements during the hearing earlier this year during which they heard evidence from both Mr Downes and a pupil from Emmbrook School.

According to a report published this month the panel heard that Downes was dismissed from his position at the Wokingham school after alcohol was found present in a cup in the classroom.

Through a variety of witness statements, the findings of misconduct included bringing and consuming alcohol on school premises. He was also found to have brought prescribed medication into the classroom where it was stored in an unlocked drawer.

The incident in question occurred on December 16, 2021, when staff and pupils raised concerns that Mr Downes had been acting in an unusual way and there was a suggestion that he might have been under the influence of alcohol.

During the panel hearing, a pupil from Emmbrook Primary School spoke about the day in question, which was the final day before Christmas break.

The report said: “Pupil A explained in their witness statement that they noticed Mr Downes was ‘acting strangely’, ‘looked pale in the face’ and ‘couldn’t walk properly’ as he was ‘swaying from side to side’.

“Pupil A also stated that he was ‘slurring and mumbling’ his words and ‘not speaking very clearly’, as well as ‘slouching in his chair’.”

Another witness who provided a statement confirmed that after visiting the classroom to investigate following Pupil A’s comment, noted that she considered that he was ‘disorientated’ but was confident the children were not in any danger.

The panel considered various factors, which deliberated whether he was found to have ‘fallen seriously short of the specific standards of his profession’ and accordingly were satisfied that Mr Downes was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The report said: “The findings of misconduct are serious, and the conduct displayed would be likely to have a negative impact on the individual’s status as a teacher, potentially damaging the public perception.”

The panel noted that a prohibition order was both proportionate and appropriate due to the lack of remorse by Downes.

The conclusion made by Ms Sarah Buxcey stated: “Mr Michael Downes is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

“He may apply for the prohibition order to be set aside, but not until 07 March 2026, 2 years from the date of this order at the earliest. This is not an automatic right to have the prohibition order removed.

“If he does apply, a panel will meet to consider whether the prohibition order should be set aside. Without a successful application, Mr Downes remains prohibited from teaching indefinitely.”

A spokesperson from Emmbrook Primary School said: “We are aware that a former teacher at our school was required to attend the Teacher Regulation Authority (TRA) in January following a situation that took place in 2021.  The member of staff was under the influence of alcohol while at school and when this was discovered, he was immediately suspended pending an investigation. This led to his dismissal and his actions were reported to the TRA in line with standard procedures for all schools.  

 “Although we have great sympathy for the staff member involved, as it had been a very stressful time for all teachers working through the pandemic, clearly his actions cannot be tolerated in a school where pupil welfare must always come first. 

 “We set high expectations for our staff to be good role models for all our students and clearly, on that occasion in 2021, there was a breach in this high standard, but it was dealt with seriously and swiftly and we are confident that at no time were our students put at any risk.”