A former head teacher has been banned from the profession after a disastrous school ski trip that resulted in pupils taking part in illegal activity. Justine Drury, age 52, was the principal of CP Riverside School in Nottingham, England. From January 29 to February 4, 2017, Drury took a dozen pupils to Switzerland on an excursion that went horribly wrong.
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The banned head teacher and two other staff members were the only adults supervising the ski trip. She worked for a special education facility for children with behavior or social issues for children ages 13 to 18.
Debauchery Unfolds On School Ski Trip
10 male and two female students came along on this trip for which only a few parents gave written permission. This catastrophic trip resulted in pupils sleeping with each other, as well as engaging in drugs and shoplifting.
One female student slept with two male students. Then, a third male student filmed it happening and used the footage to "blackmail" her into also sleeping with him. On top of that, a second female pupil allegedly slept with another student for £30.
That was just the icing on the cake. Staff members found three knives in one of the student's rooms. They also discovered that one group of pupils stole alcohol from the hotel kitchen, while a few students shoplifted from nearby stores.
The Teaching Regulation Agency overlooking the case also found another highly inappropriate situation. They heard that Drury moved one of the male pupils into a shared room with an adult staff member.
Despite all of this debauchery, Drury denied any wrongdoing and lacked any remorse for her failed attempts at keeping the students in line. Evidence demonstrated that Drury showed "no understanding of why her actions were not appropriate and seemingly had no regard for anyone other than herself."
Drury, and the school, knew ahead of the trip of the students' nature. 10 had Special Educational Needs, eight were known to be engaging in intercourse, and seven had substance abuse issues. Additionally, three students were already involved with the justice system.
The panel also found out that Drury knew of the debauchery during the trip and took no action to stop the trip early. She allowed the pupils to be unsupervised for long periods, and after learning about the inappropriate situations, the trip continued.
After the TRA analyzed Drury's case from November 25 to November 29, 2024, they swiftly banned the principal. Both from the school and the teaching profession indefinitely.
