A special needs teacher who turned up drunk to school after attending a child protection meeting with social services and was caught with wine bottles in her bag has told she ‘had no support’ after being struck off.
Alexandra Zbanca, 41, was so unsteady that when she bent down to show school leaders the alcohol she fell off a chair and did not realise that her dress had ridden up.
The supply teacher, who was employed by an external agency, admitted that she had been drinking in a pub before turning up to work at Pentland Field School in Uxbridge, Middlesex, in February 2023.
It came on the day of a child protection meeting involving Zbanca, after she was referred to social services following a conviction for drink-driving.
Now Zbanca, who told that she has ‘totally moved on’ from the events two years ago, has said she had ‘no support’ at the time of the incident and was ‘extremely stressed’.
After giving birth to her second child, she claimed she felt under pressure to return to work.
‘My new school expected me to make a plan for every lesson during the day,’ Zbanca told .
‘I didn’t have time to plan and prepare everything the school wanted me to. I returned to work six months after having a baby.
‘My daughter was only sleeping two or three hours each night. I only had the summer holidays [to plan lessons] and we are not paid to work then.’
She admitted she began drinking ‘to relax’, adding: ‘No-one talks about how stressful, how inconvenient, how much pressure the parents of children [involved with social services] are under.’
She said she has now moved on: ‘I feel upset with myself for what happened and I’m trying not to remember too much about that time.
‘I need to recalibrate myself in terms of raising my children and having a life.’
Zbanca’s drinking was exposed after she went to the pub following a child protection meeting on February 10, 2023.
A misconduct hearing was told how Zbanca was found wandering the corridors at Pentland Field School unsteady on her feet, leaning against the wall for support.
When confronted, she admitted to drinking and emptied her bag – revealing two bottles of wine and a water bottle reeking of alcohol.
Teaching Regulation Agency panel chairman Ian McKim said: ‘Ms Zbanca insisted on showing them what was in her bag.
‘When bending over to empty the bag, she lost her balance and fell off the chair completely, and she had not realised that her dress had ridden up considerably.’
The hearing in Coventry, West Midlands, also heard that Zbanca was previously convicted of drink-driving with a child in her car in June 2022.
At last month’s hearing she was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that could bring the teaching profession into disrepute.
The hearing was told by a witness at Zbanca’s former school that on 10 February 2023 she had left the classroom where she was supposed to be teaching and was ‘inconsolable’.
As the witness escorted Zbanca to the assistant head’s office, he said she appeared unsteady on her feet and was gravitating towards the wall to stay upright.
In the office, he then described her behaviour: ‘She was struggling to maintain her balance whilst sitting on the office chair, she was clearly upset, had been crying and had difficulty sitting upright.’
After being asked if she had been drinking, the hearing heard Zbanca admitted she had been, before ‘insisting’ on showing the staff present the contents of her bag.
This included two unsealed wine bottles and a water bottle that smelled of wine.
But when she reached forward to show staff this, Zbanca was so unsteady that she fell off her chair and here dress rode up considerably, the hearing was told.
She then told staff her water bottle smelled of wine because she had been at the [pub prior to entering the school, and had poured her drink into her water bottle.
The hearing also told how Zbanca was convicted of the offence of being drunk on a highway whilst in charge of a child while on a placement at Pield Heath House School in 2022.
At the time, she was sentenced to a community order, 10 penalty points on her driving liceence, rehabilitation activity and ordered to pay a surcharge of £95 and costs to the crown prosecution service of £85.
Mr McKim said: ‘Ms Zbanca’s behaviour in committing these offences could undoubtedly affect public confidence in the teaching profession, given the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community.
‘Her conduct ran counter to what should have been at the very core of her practice as a teacher with a duty of care towards children.’
The report added: ‘The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Ms Zbanca, involved breaches of the responsibilities and duties set out in statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’.
‘The panel finds that the conduct of Ms Zbanca fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.
‘The findings of misconduct are serious as they include a teacher being convicted of a driving offence involving alcohol, being under the influence of alcohol whilst at work, and being unable to safeguard and/or look after children in their care.’
Zbanca, who was not present at the hearing, was banned from teaching and cannot reapply for at least five years.
She has 28 days to appeal the ruling.
A spokesperson for the school said: ‘We took immediate action following this incident involving an agency worker. The matter was dealt with swiftly and in accordance with our safeguarding policies. The safety and wellbeing of our pupils and staff are always our highest priority, and we can confirm that none of our pupils were involved.
‘We have written to all parents and carers to ensure they are fully informed and reassured of the actions we took. We uphold the highest standards and provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all pupils.’