It wasn’t the purchase of camping equipment or the use of a school car alone that saw former Ryde Academy principal Joy Ballard banned from teaching – it was the Teaching Regulation Agency panel’s conclusion that her actions demonstrated dishonesty, a lack of integrity and a continuing failure to recognise the seriousness of her conduct.
While the panel found all of the allegations against Mrs Ballard proven, the decision makes clear that the prohibition order was based on the overall pattern of behaviour rather than any single incident.
Among the findings were that she used a school-funded vehicle for personal journeys, including a trip to France, altered school term dates to fit around her own holiday plans, bought items with school funds that had limited educational use, failed to follow procedures for handling school cash and acted dishonestly in relation to an expenses declaration.
However, when deciding whether she should be allowed to remain in the profession, the panel said it was particularly concerned by Mrs Ballard’s dishonesty and lack of integrity.
The panel found her actions represented a significant departure from the standards expected of a headteacher and said they had the potential to undermine public confidence in the teaching profession.
Although Mrs Ballard apologised for aspects of her conduct and accepted that some of her decisions had been wrong, the panel concluded she had shown only limited insight into her behaviour.
In evidence, she accepted she was “not against breaking rules” where she believed they were not fit for purpose and told the panel she would “do some of it again” if faced with the same circumstances.
Those comments were specifically considered when assessing the likelihood of future misconduct.
The panel concluded there remained a risk that similar behaviour could be repeated because Mrs Ballard had not fully accepted the seriousness of her actions or demonstrated sufficient reflection on the impact they had on the profession.
It also found there was no exceptional mitigation that outweighed the need to maintain public confidence in teachers and school leaders.
Accepting the panel’s recommendation, Secretary of State decision maker Marc Cavey said the case involved “a headteacher behaving in a way which was dishonest and lacking in integrity”.
He concluded that a prohibition order was the only appropriate outcome, saying a lesser sanction would not adequately maintain public confidence in the profession or uphold proper professional standards.
Although Mrs Ballard has been prohibited from teaching indefinitely, she can apply to have the order reviewed after 2 years, from 23rd June 2028.
