'I’ve paid the price. I can’t punish myself anymore' - ban for former Rugby teacher who turned up drunk at school

Mark Baird, 36, has been banned from the profession indefinitely after attempting to attend a school while intoxicated.

He also failed to disclose he had been dismissed from the job when applying for another teaching role at Bilton School.

Mr Baird admitted to a misconduct investigation that he had collapsed while walking to work at an unnamed school in January 2022.

Paramedics found him to be under the influence of alcohol.

After an investigation he was dismissed in February 2022, but then hid the reason for leaving when starting a job at another school, a panel said.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said the second school was only made aware of the dismissal when one of its investigators contacted it in November of the same year.

The investigator had been looking into Mr Baird's previous attempts to attend school while drunk, although he never reached the classroom.

He was subsequently dismissed from the second school in December 2022.

In written representations to the tribunal, Mr Baird said he had made a stupid mistake that meant that everything he had ever worked for was ‘now in the bin’.

He said that he could not ‘go through a panel. I’d prefer that I’m just prohibited. I’ve paid the price. I’ve lost my career. I can’t punish myself anymore’.

A spokesperson from Stowe Valley Multi Academy Trust said: “Mr Baird was in employment at Bilton School from September to December 2022. Whilst in our employment, no concerns had arisen in relation to his conduct or capability.

"Once notification was received about concerns in his previous employment, we terminated Mr Baird’s employment with immediate effect and worked with all relevant agencies to support the TRA process.”

The panel took account of the circumstances in which Mr Baird found himself, saying he had faced an ‘extremely challenging time’ personally.

The panel found the conduct of Mr Baird fell significantly short of the standard of behaviour expected of a teacher.

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