Headmistress at £14,000-a-year private school who fraudulently expensed nearly £3,000 of John Lewis vouchers faces ban

A disgraced headmistress faces being banned from teaching for defrauding a £14,000-a-year private school over John Lewis vouchers worth thousands.

Hilary French, 68, a former head teacher at the independent Newcastle High School for Girls, in Jesmond, Newcastle, was sacked and arrested after she expensed 65 John Lewis vouchers worth nearly £3,000.

She may never teach again after falsely claiming they were gifts for staff who were leaving, guest speakers at the school and awards for pupils, a Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel heard.

Her actions were discovered after an internal audit in March 2018 identified several potential concerns, including the unusual purchase of the gift cards totalling £2,970, claimed between April 2017 and February 2018. 

This triggered a disciplinary investigation and a police investigation into the purchases, a Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel heard.

In July 2023, French appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, where she pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by abuse of position and was sentenced to six months suspended for 12 months with 150 hours unpaid work.

She originally strongly denied the offences intended to challenge the findings in an Employment Tribunal – but later pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud. 

French made several claims as well as the gift cards, including meals and a false theft. 

She was sacked and arrested by police after she expensed 65 John Lewis vouchers worth nearly £3,000

This included a claim for a £295 Sweaty Betty jacket which she said had been stolen from the school. However, this was later found by police in the boot of her car. 

In another instance she submitted a claim for meals during a weekend trip to Bath, claiming she had met with former students from the school, the sentencing remarks added.

Prosecutor Liam O’Brien said it was by ‘pure chance’ that one of the former students who French claimed she had met with for a meal, ended up bumping into another member of staff at the school.

She confirmed she had not seen the Ms French since she left school. 

The former headteacher travelled to Bath to support the hockey team during a competition in November 2017 to ‘make the most’ of her remaining time at work.

Mr O’Brien said: ‘The defendant travelled to Bath although not with the girls.

‘When she returned to the North East, she submitted expense claims of £220.83 for a series of meals she claimed to have had with former students of Newcastle High School for Girls who were either studying at Bath University or other nearby institutions.

‘Statements were taken from each of the girls who the defendant claimed to have met with.

She made a claim for a £295 Sweaty Betty jacket which she said had been stolen from the school. However, this was later found by police in the boot of her car

French was a highly-regarded teacher with a long and distinguished career and she was unable to say why she committed the offences and has since repaid the funds

‘They all said the last time they had seen the defendant was when they left school.’

The panel was satisfied that evidence of the sentence, which was not appealed, proved the allegations of fraudulently claimed expenses.

French was a highly-regarded teacher with a long and distinguished career and she was unable to say why she committed the offences and has since repaid the funds.

French did not attend the misconduct hearing on Friday, telling her representative that she ‘can’t cope’ with the proceedings and didn’t wish to engage further.

A decision was made to proceed with the hearing in her absence. The outcome of the misconduct hearing has been decided privately. 

The judge said: ‘This is a very sad case. ‘You were a headmistress from 2006 after a very long and distinguished career as a teacher.

‘It is all the sadder your career has ended in this way.’