Educating Cardiff head changed school term dates to go on cruise, tribunal found

By Ellie Ng, Press Association Education Correspondent

An award-winning former headteacher has been banned from the profession after a tribunal found she changed school term dates to go on a cruise.

Joy Ballard, 59, was also found to have bought a Peugeot with school funds which she used to go on personal trips as well as a karaoke machine, two televisions and camping equipment while she was headteacher at Ryde Academy on the Isle of Wight.

Mrs Ballard took part in the Channel 4 documentary Educating Cardiff in 2015 which saw her turning around one of the city’s worst-performing schools when she was in the top job there.

She also won a Pearson Teaching Award in 2015.

By 2023, she was working at Ryde Academy when she changed the term dates so that school finished on December 18 that year and started back on January 3 2024.

A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard “cogent evidence” from multiple witnesses that Mrs Ballard was going on a cruise at this time – with the ex-headteacher accepting she went on one which docked on January 3 2024.

A witness told the panel that the change in dates had a “significant impact” on attendance at the school.

The panel found the allegation that Mrs Ballard changed term dates to accommodate her holiday proven.

According to the tribunal, she also did not attend school for the full day on January 3 2024 for personal and/or holiday reasons.

“The panel considered the evidence showed that Mrs Ballard had knowingly and dishonestly changed the dates of the term time for personal benefit,” the judgment said.

“The panel noted that Mrs Ballard would have understood the implications of this as an experienced headteacher and that a personal reason would not be a sufficiently good reason to change the term dates.”

The panel found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and that her actions may bring the profession into disrepute.

Character statements

Mrs Ballard provided around 50 character statements to the tribunal, in which she was labelled “an exceptional leader” and “the most caring and thoughtful” headteacher.

In her evidence, she admitted that she would not do anything differently, with the exception of using the school car for personal reasons, in the belief that she was promoting the best interests of pupils.

She said: “I am not a rule follower, I like going against the grain to benefit the kids.”

Concerns were raised about her in March 2024, and she retired from the school in August that year.

She was banned from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England but will be able to apply for the prohibition order to be set aside in June 2028.