Banned drunken head teacher, 64, came to school ‘stinking of booze’ and ate raw garlic to hide smell

A drunken head teacher chewed mints when he turned up at school ‘stinking of booze’ and would eat raw bulbs of garlic before Ofsted inspections, a misconduct hearing was told.

Jeremy Tucker, 64, also plastered on aftershave from bottles he kept by his desk to further disguise the smell from bottles of vodka he hid in his golf bag, it was said.

Mr Tucker looked dishevelled in his appearance, was often unshaven, his shirt was unironed and not tucked into his trousers – and he often swore at pupils, a misconduct panel heard.

The head teacher was also accused of making lewd comments around pupils, once saying ‘hey miss, you’ve got big t**s and I’d love to suck on them,’ during an assembly in front of 20 children.

And he also told a misbehaving pupil in the playground: ‘I’m going to knock your head off and s**t down your throat.’  

A colleague told teaching watchdogs: ‘Mr Tucker kept several bottles of aftershave on the shelf above his desk along with mints and chewing gum.

‘When I walked into Mr Tucker’s office, he often reached for the aftershave and sprayed it or started to chew on mints. 

‘In around 2013 to 2015, the school had various inspections. Before Ofsted came, Mr Tucker would eat raw bulbs of garlic.’ 

Former head teacher Jeremy Tucker, 64, was banned from teaching for three years after showing up drunk and making lewd comments in front of pupils (Acorn School in Lincoln pictured)

Another member of staff at Acorn Free School in Lincoln said: ‘Pupils previously said that they had smelt alcohol on Mr Tucker.

‘Mr Tucker tried to disguise the smell with copious amounts of aftershave or eating raw bulbs of garlic.

‘In around June 2016, Ofsted were doing an inspection at the school; Mr Tucker was sat in the senior leadership team chewing on bulbs of garlic as he smelt of alcohol.’

As well as telling pupils they were stupid and mocking them, he told a shocked assembly one of the things they should not say to staff was: ‘Hey Miss, you’ve got big t**s and I’d love to suck on them.’

The Teaching Regulation Hearing was told Mr Tucker shared an office with a female colleague but she had reduced her hours, so he was often alone in his office.

Another co-worker stated: ‘Mr Tucker often arrived smelling of alcohol and with blood shot eyes.

‘It became a running joke amongst the staff that Mr Tucker would be late in and smelt of alcohol on the days this colleague was not at the school.’

A Year 10 pupil once challenged the head in reception, saying: ‘I am not being funny… but you looked chunked out of your bean.’

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Mr Tucker replied ‘What does chunked out your bean mean?’. The pupil said: ‘Red eyed and stoned’ and the teacher snapped back: ‘I can assure you I am not.’

The panel was told in November 2018 a teacher told a superior Mr Tucker ‘stunk of booze’ and she ‘was not surprised as Mr Tucker had a pattern of coming to the school on Thursdays smelling of alcohol’.

‘A couple of minutes later, she witnessed Mr Tucker very unsteady on his feet and saying things that did not make sense,’ the misconduct panel heard. 

‘When Mr Tucker left the administration side of the office, she went to that side of the office to use the photocopier and there was a strong smell of alcohol.

‘At around 9am, Mr Tucker left by car to go to the Priory City of Lincoln Academy.’

She spoke to two co-workers and they all agreed the head had been drinking so she reported him to safeguarding.

Tucker was head teacher at the Acorn Free School in Lincoln from 2013 for six years

When Mr Tucker had left the school, she found his golf bag which he used to keep in his office – but then put in the PE stores when he moved offices.

When she and a colleague opened the bag, they found empty bottles of vodka.

In October 2018, Mr Tucker conducted an assembly to around 20 pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 on how sexualised comments towards staff could not be dismissed as banter.

Mr Tucker demonstrated what type of language would not be tolerated by staff by making the comment ‘hey Miss you’ve got big t**s, I’d love to suck on them’.

Panel chairman Fiona McLaren said: ‘All the pupils in the assembly looked shocked and it became very awkward in the room.’

Mr Tucker admitted he made the comment in the assembly but could not recall the majority of the incidents. 

Teaching watchdogs heard concerns about the head were flagged to safeguarding officers and reported to the governors two years earlier.

But no further action was taken until the incidents in November 2018, following which he was suspended. In 2019, he agreed to resign without a disciplinary hearing.

The Teaching Regulation Agency disciplinary panel said Mr Tucker’s behaviour and conduct was not sexually motivated. 

John Knowles, for the Education Secretary, banned him from the profession for at least three years. 

He said: ‘Mr Tucker did not submit any evidence, which demonstrated that he had shown insight or remorse into his actions.

‘In my judgment, the lack of insight means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.’