Head teacher who stole £15k from schools banned

A former head teacher who was jailed for stealing more than £15,000 from two primary schools where he worked has been banned from the profession.

Neil Metcalf was jailed for 15 months in August 2024 after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position in relation to St Anthony of Padua RC Primary School and Our Lady’s Bishop Eton Primary School, both in Mossley Hill, Liverpool.

The then 51-year-old, of Childwall, admitted he stole the money after racking up £100,000 in credit card debts.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) hearing has now banned him from teaching indefinitely with the option of a review after six years.

Metcalf sent the money in the form of cheques to his unsuspecting stepson, with instructions to transfer the cash into his personal bank account after the cheques had cleared.

He was head of St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School between 2016 and 2022 before moving on to Our Lady's Bishop Eton Catholic Primary School.

In November 2023, he was suspended from the latter school, and an internal investigation into financial discrepancies began.

He resigned in June 2024 before being referred to the TRA a month later.

The panel heard his offending was discovered when the finance officer at Our Lady's Bishop Eton noticed an unusual invoice made out for 'School Fit' and 'J. Neil'.

She asked Metcalf about the payment, and he told her it was for "health and safety".

In a written judgment, a TRA panel said it recognised Metcalf was struggling with spiralling debt due to loans and credit cards that he had taken out.

He had stated he did not share his problems with anyone, which led him to make decisions that he was "deeply ashamed of" in an attempt to "keep his head above water" with the fear of losing his house.

However, the panel noted Metcalf had committed these offences at two schools over a significant period of time.

They described it as a "sophisticated fraud" planned by Metcalf to avoid detection.

In a written representation, Metcalf referred to the shame and hurt his conviction had brought particularly by having been "broadcast over the local press".

He told officials he had paid the price for his actions, and that any further sanction "would not be necessary." Metcalf said he knew he would "never be a headteacher again" and "this is of great distress" to him.

However the panel concluded Metcalf's representations demonstrated "chagrin" at the personal consequences of his actions rather than showing insight into his own behaviour.

The panel imposed an indefinite prohibition order, which Metcalf could ask to be reviewed in April 2032.

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