A DEPUTY headteacher told her boss she was at a ‘medical appointment’ when she was actually being questioned by police after a drugs raid at her house. 

Josephine Bekhradnia was the deputy head at Chilworth House Upper School in Wheatley when she sent a WhatsApp message to colleagues to tell them she would be absent from school due to an appointment.

In fact, Ms Bekhradnia was attending a police interview in relation to an ongoing police investigation into somebody called ‘Person A’, who lived with her.

A professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) met last month to discuss allegations that in September 2020, Ms Bekhradnia did not tell her bosses at Chilworth House that: Person A had been arrested in relation to drug offences; police had found drugs at her home, and that she had been interviewed by police.

On September 14, 2020, her home was searched by police and Person A was arrested on suspicion of drug offences. 

Four days later, her school received an anonymous letter stating Person A had been searched for drugs, and on September 24, Ms Bekhradnia was invited to attend the police station for a ‘voluntary interview under caution’.

The school commenced a disciplinary process and Ms Bekhradnia resigned her position during that process.

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She admitted she had been interviewed by police, as well as sending the WhatsApp message lying about where she was. She also ‘accepted the admitted allegations amounted to unacceptable professional conduct’.

Allegations that she didn't tell the school that Person A had been arrested and that drugs were found inside her home were found to be unproven. 

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The panel’s report states: “The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Bekhradnia amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.

“The panel found that whilst offences of ‘fraud or serious dishonesty’ was relevant, Ms Bekhradnia’s behaviour could not be categorised at that high a level.

“The panel did however consider that a teacher being dishonest about their involvement with a police investigation was a significant departure from the standards and falling far below the expected behaviour of a teacher.

“In the agreed statement of fact, Ms Bekhradnia accepted her behaviour in this case amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.”

The report said ‘no doubt had been cast’ upon Ms Bekhradnia’s ‘significant abilities as a teacher’, adding: “There was clear evidence that Ms Bekhradnia’s actions were deliberate and that she was not under any duress, although the panel accepted this was out of character and that she was under an amount of stress at the time.”

On whether to ban Ms Bekhradnia from teaching, the decision stated ‘a prohibition order would clearly deprive the public of her contribution to the profession’.

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