Headteacher banned for hiring husband

A former primary head has been banned from teaching after making thousands of pounds of payments to her husband.

Gillian Smyth was said to have shown "no remorse" as she was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by the General Teaching Council and banned from the job for two years.

The council heard Mrs Smyth, who was head of Colham Manor Primary School in Uxbridge until March last year, claimed expenses for a trip to Sri Lanka and appointed her husband to the governing body of her school without following the correct procedures.

Derek Johns, chairman of the council's professional conduct committee, said Mrs Smyth had also falsified documents and given incorrect financial figures to the Hillingdon local authority.

Mr Johns added that as well as making "irregular changes" to staff contracts, she granted an unauthorised loan of £300 to a member of staff and didn't check that repayments were made.

He said: "This is not a case of an isolated incident but conduct that has taken place over a number of years. This is a case where Mrs Smyth has expressed no remorse."

The committee issued a "prohibition order" which bars Mrs Smyth from teaching for two years.

Mrs Smyth's husband Peter was appointed to the governing body of Colham Manor in November 2007, but there was no note of his appointment, no terms and conditions of employment and no detailed minutes of the governing body meeting, the committee heard.

Mrs Smyth also failed to declare that the appointee was her husband.

Mr Smyth was paid £5,200 after his appointment and given three payments before it.

Hillingdon council terminated Mrs Smyth's contract for gross misconduct on March 31 last year.