A teacher involved a collision while over the drink-drive limit has been allowed to continue working. Eleanor Howell said she was going through one of the “one of the most painful experiences of her life” when she drank a “significant” volume of alcohol and got behind the wheel on February 22, 2022, injuring a person.
A passer-by took her car keys to prevent her continuing to drive. West Midlands Police officers were called to the incident and she was arrested.
Less than a month later, she was convicted of drink-driving and was fined and banned from driving for 18 months. Ms Howell was employed at Baskerville School in Harborne, from 16 March 2021 as a supply teacher and a referral to the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) was made on December 15, 2022.
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A hearing last month decided a prohibition order – which would was not needed and she should be allowed to continue work in her field of special needs education. The panel was satisfied Ms Howell had an understanding of what had gone wrong on the day of the collision and had taken steps to safeguard against it happening again. There had been no further incidents in the time since the conviction.
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Sarah Buxcey, TRA decision maker, said: “Ms Howell stated she completed a comprehensive drink-driving course, which was a three-day course over three weeks where she learnt about the devastating impact of drink driving.” She added: “Ms Howell stated that over the past two-and-a-half years she has experienced significant personal growth and has become stronger.
“I have also placed considerable weight on the finding of the panel that ‘there was a public interest consideration in retaining the teacher in the profession, since no doubt had been cast upon her abilities as an educator and she is able to make a valuable contribution to the profession, particularly in her chosen field of special needs education’.”
Ms Buxcey added: “I have concluded a prohibition order is not proportionate or in the public interest. I consider the publication of the findings made would be sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that were not acceptable and that the publication would meet the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession.”
Baskerville House teaches children with autism and learning difficulties aged from 11 to 19.