Teacher banned after bringing Ketamine drug into Milton Keynes primary school

A popular teacher has been banned from teaching for at least two years after he brought Class B drug Ketamine into a city primary school.

Charles Hatfield, aged 32, taught at the Charles Warren Academy in Simpson, where the pupils are aged between four and 11.

A professional conduct panel from the Teaching Regulation Agency heard this month that the incident happened in December 2020.

Their report states: “A small package containing a white substance was found at the school by the Principal in the staff cubicles. The following day a staff

meeting was held to inform staff members and to urge anyone with any information to come forward.

“Following this meeting, Mr Hatfield confessed that the package was his and that it had accidentally fallen out of his wallet. Mr Hatfield confirmed that the drug was Ketamine.”

He said he had not used the substance within the school, which is part of the Academies Enterprise Trust.

Mr Hatfield was suspended on 16 December 2020 pending further investigation. A disciplinary hearing took place on 22 April 2021 and he was dismissed for gross misconduct.

Police were informed and the package was tested to confirm the substance was Ketamine, a Class B drug, and contained approximately 0.476 grams.

The police gave a conditional caution to Mr Hatfield in August 2021. As part of the caution, he was required to complete a drugs course.

Mr Hatfield, who worked at Charles Warren Academy between September 2019 and April 202, admitted the facts to the professional conduct panel and said his conduct was unacceptable and could bring the profession into disrepute.

He told the panel his two character references were on annual leave and so there was difficulty in contacting them.

He said the impact of his conduct “has been and still is wide-reaching”, telling the panel: “First of all, it affected the learning of my class. They lost their teacher, their routines, and their learning was greatly disrupted. There is no way I can remediate for this and it greatly saddens me to have impacted their education in such a way.”

The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Mr Hatfield breached Keeping Children Safe In Education, and noted the serious risks and consequences if a child had found the Ketamine on the School’s premises. Possession of a class B drug on school premises was misconduct of a serious nature, falling significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher, they said.

The report states: “The panel also noted the significant safeguarding risks and potential consequences on pupils. The panel considered the impact this would have had on the pupils, parents, staff and wider community. Mr Hatfield’s actions could have caused significant reputational damage to the School and the teaching profession as a whole.”

It was decided that Mr Hatfield be prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or

children’s home in England.

But the panel agreed a two year review period, which means he can apply for the ban to be set aside after that time.

Mr Hatfield’s profession is currently given as a Freelance Digital Marketing Consultant on LinkedIn.