School meals scam teacher given an indefinite ban

Daniel Reynolds took £8,520 from West Earlham Junior School

A former assistant head teacher has been banned from the profession after admitting to a free school meals scam.

Daniel Reynolds, 38, worked at West Earlham Junior School in Norwich from 2018 until the end of his employment in October 2022.

He admitted taking £8,520 from the school, and at Norwich Magistrates' Court in 2024 he was given a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Now the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has barred Reynolds from the profession indefinitely.

In his role, Reynolds was responsible for applying for and administering a grant through Norfolk County Council as part of the government's holiday activities and food programme.

The scheme was set up to provide children with free school meals and holiday activities.

In April 2022, the council's education finance team raised concerns over irregular transactions in the school's accounts and alleged "dishonest actions" by Reynolds.

In November, he pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by deception between October 2021 and June 2022 and admitted a fourth charge of making or supplying documents and receipts for use in fraud.

The panel said Reynolds's actions were an "egregious breach of trust"

During sentencing, the judge said one of the incidents involved Reynolds invoicing the school for the provision of a Christmas event despite a local hotel providing the food free of charge as a charitable donation.

The TRA panel described his actions as an "egregious breach of trust reposed in... [him] by the school" and "an abuse of a position of trust and responsibility".

The panel said teachers should act with honesty and integrity and should demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct.

It said it did not consider his actions to have any potential impact on the safety or security of pupils or the public, but his behaviour could have affected pupils' confidence in teachers.

The report said the incidents involved a serious abuse of trust and Reynolds had devised a "sophisticated scheme".

The panel considered the incidents to be out of character for Reynolds, but concluded that he should be banned indefinitely from teaching in England.

As well as being given the suspended jail sentence, Reynolds was sentenced in court to 300 hours of unpaid work and 10 hours of rehabilitation.