Teacher banned for taking cocaine at school party

A maths teacher has been banned from teaching after a panel found he took cocaine at a school Christmas party.

Rowan Barnicoat, 29, who worked at Pool Academy in Cornwall, consumed cocaine during a staff Christmas event in December 2023, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct panel heard.

Barnicoat took two bags of white powder from a suitcase, placed them on a table, broke it up with a credit card and snorted it through a rolled-up £5 note, the panel was told.

The school said Barnicoat's conduct "fell well below the standards we expect of all staff and did not reflect the values of Pool Academy" and the welfare and safeguarding of students was its "highest priority."

Barnicoat joined the school as a maths teacher in September 2022 and resigned in February 2024 while the school's investigation was ongoing. He did not attend the TRA hearing.

Witnesses told the panel Barnicoat had repeatedly referred to cocaine during the evening.

According to the ruling, Barnicoat also told a colleague: "I am never skint. I always have cash from dealing."

The panel found it was more likely than not that the white powder was cocaine and ruled that Barnicoat had been in possession of and had consumed the Class A drug.

In its decision, the panel said Barnicoat's actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that could bring the teaching profession into disrepute.

It found that taking illegal drugs in the presence of colleagues at a school-linked event fell "significantly short of the standards expected of the profession".

It found an allegation that he had tried to influence a witness's account during the investigation was not proven.

Barnicoat is barred from teaching indefinitely, although he can apply for a review from 30 June 2031.

A spokesperson for Pool Academy said Barnicoat's conduct "fell well below the standards we expect of all staff and did not reflect the values of Pool Academy".

They said: "As soon as the matter came to our attention we acted promptly and followed the appropriate procedures."

After Barnicoat left the school a safeguarding hearing took place and the outcome send to the TRA.

"The welfare and safeguarding of our students is, and always will be, our highest priority."

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