Joy Ballard, 59, who appeared on Channel 4's Educating Cardiff in 2015, has been banned from teaching after a tribunal found she changed school term dates to go on a cruise. The award-winning former headteacher also used school funds for personal trips, including buying a Peugeot, a karaoke machine, two televisions, and camping equipment while at Ryde Academy on the Isle of Wight.
Term Date Changes for Holiday
By 2023, Ballard was working at Ryde Academy when she altered the term dates so that school finished on December 18, 2023, and resumed on January 3, 2024. A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard “cogent evidence” from multiple witnesses that she was going on a cruise at that time. Ballard admitted she went on a cruise that docked on January 3, 2024. The panel found the allegation proven, noting that the change had a “significant impact” on attendance.
Misuse of School Funds
The tribunal also found that Ballard used school funds for personal trips and items. She bought a Peugeot with school money and used it for personal journeys, along with a karaoke machine, two televisions, and camping equipment. She did not attend school for the full day on January 3, 2024, for personal and/or holiday reasons.
Unacceptable Professional Conduct
The panel concluded that Ballard had “knowingly and dishonestly changed the dates of the term time for personal benefit.” As an experienced headteacher, she would have understood the implications, and a personal reason was not a sufficiently good reason. She was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, which may bring the profession into disrepute.
Ballard provided around 50 character statements describing her as “an exceptional leader” and “the most caring and thoughtful” headteacher. In her evidence, she admitted she would not do anything differently except using the school car for personal reasons, stating: “I am not a rule follower, I like going against the grain to benefit the kids.”
Ban and Future Application
Concerns were raised in March 2024, and Ballard retired from the school in August 2024. She is banned from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children’s home in England. She can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside in June 2028.
