Teacher denies drinking alcohol while in charge of children

A PRIMARY school teacher has denied drinking alcohol at work while in charge of a class of children.

Clare Douthwaite, who worked at Rhosddu Community Primary School in Wrexham, is also accused of stumbling in a hallway of the school in June 2016.

She was not present at an Education Workforce Council fitness to practise hearing in Ewloe in Flintshire yesterday, citing ill-health, the Daily Post reports.

In a letter, Mrs Douthwaite accepted four counts of professional misconduct; that she had left children alone in a classroom without informing other staff and had gone to her car to drink “clear liquid”.

She also admitted refusing to show the bottle she drank from to her head teacher, Marian Young, and ignoring advice not to drive home after the incident on June 28, 2016.

Mrs Douthwaite denies the liquid was alcohol and stumbling at work.

The hearing earlier ruled against an application to conduct the hearing without the press in attendance.

Teaching assistant Nichola Belton told the hearing she had noticed doors in the school hall were open and saw Mrs Douthwaite in her car as she went to close them on June 28, 2016.

She said: “I went to the double doors and saw Clare Douthwaite leaning into her car and taking a few swigs from a bottle.

She told the hearing the bottle did not depress like a water bottle would but she could not see a label on it.

Dafydd Ifans, who investigated Mrs Douthwaite’s conduct on behalf of Wrexham County Council, said Mrs Douthwaite had admitted she had a problem with alcohol but said it was confined to drinking in the evenings.

The hearing continues.