Clase Primary School T.A Caught drink driving and positive for drugs

A teaching assistant was caught driving under the influence of cocaine, cannabis and alcohol less than two hours after leaving work. Jessica Picton left Clase Primary in Swansea as usual at 3.10pm and was stopped by police at the roadside at 4.45pm when they noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from her car, an Education Workforce Council Wales fitness to practise committee heard.

When police breathalysed and drug tested the level two teaching assistant, who worked with vulnerable additional learning needs pupils, alcohol, cocaine and cannabis was detected.

Picton was arrested, charged and later convicted of driving under the influence of controlled drugs and alcohol by West Glamorgan Magistrates Court after being stopped by police on December 11, 2023.

Magistrates issued her with a curfew and electronic tag, a 17-month driving ban and a community order when she pleaded guilty before them on June 14, 2024. She was also required to do rehabilitation activities. 

Clase Primary's then headteacher Sharon Hope, who has since left the school, told the EWC committee, meeting remotely on December 16, that she had been contacted by the local authority telling her about Picton's arrest.

The TA was off work for a couple of days after her arrest, but when she returned on December 15 Mrs Hope asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell her.

"There was no evidence she was intoxicated in work but there was such a small gap that it was possible she had been in work under the influence of drugs," Mrs Hope told the committee.

"I asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell me. She replied 'anything in particular?'. I was taken aback."

The headteacher said that when she advised Picton to be honest with her the TA claimed that her brother had been smoking cannabis in the car, which was why it smelled and why she was pulled over by police.

Mrs Hope felt Picton was not being entirely transparent about what had happened, was worried about whether she had been at work under the influence of drugs and told her to go home and work remotely for a period. She was then suspended on full pay while an investigation was launched.

"I asked Jessica Picton if she had taken cocaine to which she replied 'not knowingly'," Mrs Hope told the hearing.

"There was a lack of transparency. I reminded her this was her opportunity to give me an honest account."

Mrs Hope said Picton was liked by colleagues, was hard working and kind to the vulnerable ALN children she worked with. She had started her career at the school in 2012 and trained there. There had been no previous concerns about her.

Finding it proved that Picton was convicted of offences relevant to her registration the EWC panel also found it proved that she had not notified the school, as she should have, about her arrest on December 11, 2023 until asked about it three days later by the head.

The committee also found the teaching assistant gave misleading and/or false information to Mrs Hope about the circumstances of her arrest and judged that her actions were dishonest, lacked integrity and amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

As Picton was neither present nor represented at the hearing, and had offered no formal pleas, the allegations were taken as denied.

The committee retired to decide on whether to impose any sanction on her registration to work. The hearing continues.