Kensington Headteacher Permanently Banned Following £56,000 School Funds Misuse
Christopher McPhilemy, the 47-year-old former headteacher of Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School in Kensington, has been struck off the teaching register indefinitely after an investigation revealed he spent over £56,000 of school money on personal and unaccounted purchases. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) made the decision following a misconduct panel hearing that detailed three years of financial irregularities from 2020 to 2023.
Systematic Financial Failures and Unauthorised Spending
The panel heard how McPhilemy, who became headmaster in September 2016, was issued a school Barclays Bank card as part of his role. After the school's bursar was made redundant at the beginning of his headship, McPhilemy assumed responsibility for financial management alongside running the school. This arrangement led to what the panel described as a complete breakdown in financial controls.
Between June 2020 and July 2023, McPhilemy spent £4,612 on an Oyster card and other rail travel, despite having his request for a full annual season ticket rejected. During the same period, he charged £16,758 to the school card at various retailers including Amazon, eBay, Sainsbury's and Argos. The purchases ranged from educational materials and IT equipment to household items and electronic devices.
Missing Documentation and Contradictory Evidence
Investigators discovered that of the total £56,196 spent on the credit card, only £29,317 had supporting credit card statements. The remaining £26,879 had no evidence of expenditure and what the panel called 'no clear audit trail.' The school credit card was set up via direct debit, meaning payments were automatically made each month regardless of whether receipts were provided.
McPhilemy provided the panel with screenshots of receipts from his personal Amazon account, annotated to label them as personal or professional use. However, school officials testified that he had never provided them with any Amazon receipts during his tenure. Some transactions were labelled as 'mistake purchases' attributed to what McPhilemy called 'oversight and lack of attention to detail.'
Delayed Reimbursements and Questionable Explanations
In October 2023, after concerns were raised, McPhilemy transferred £4,612 for his personal travel expenditure and £5,257 to the school for personal purchases made on the school's credit card. He later transferred an additional £9,870 to the school after police contacted the institution about the financial irregularities.
When challenged about the missing receipts, McPhilemy admitted: 'There was no procedure in place and I accept that there should have been. I agree that there was no system for keeping records.' Regarding the £1,784 in Oyster Card top-ups and train tickets, he claimed the previous headteacher had been given an Addison Lee card and he accepted the travel arrangements in 'good faith.'
Additional Safeguarding Failures and Professional Consequences
The investigation also revealed that McPhilemy had failed to maintain appropriate safeguarding records and documents about staff within the school. Despite colleagues describing him as 'exceptionally kind, patient and emotionally present' and 'deeply principled and values-led,' the panel found his conduct unacceptable for a teaching professional.
David Oatley, decision-maker for the Teaching Regulation Agency, stated: 'The panel noted that it found proven that Mr McPhilemy, during a period of approaching two years, dishonestly and with a lack of integrity had charged personal expenses to his school credit card and made no attempts to reconcile or reimburse any such payment.'
Oatley emphasized that 'public confidence in the profession could be seriously weakened if conduct such as that found against Mr McPhilemy were not treated with the utmost seriousness.' The panel determined that indefinite prohibition was necessary to 'maintain public confidence in the profession.'
School's Transformation Following Scandal
Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School, which had been rated Good by Ofsted, closed and became an academy in April 2025 following the scandal. McPhilemy was suspended in July 2023 after several unnamed staff members raised concerns in a letter to the chair of governors, and he was formally dismissed in November 2023 before the case was brought to the TRA.
The panel concluded that although some activities occurred outside the classroom teaching environment, 'the conduct occurred within Mr McPhilemy's role as headteacher and directly related to his professional responsibilities.' They determined that 'the public would consider public funds being dishonestly misused in the way that it had determined that Mr McPhilemy had done to be wholly unacceptable.'
