A teacher who concealed gin in a water bottle during a lesson and rushed off to be sick in the staff toilet following a weekend of birthday festivities has been permanently removed from the profession. English teacher Annika Kapur exhibited slurred speech and unsteady movement while instructing at Djanogly City Academy in Nottingham in January 2025.
Incident Details
Kapur informed a colleague that 'this class terrifies me' and claimed she was holding a 'non-alcoholic drink' while teaching, though she could not see its contents. After an investigation by the school, Kapur stated she had a half-filled water bottle containing alcohol left over from her birthday weekend, which was in her work bag. She asserted she only drank from it at the end of the day and realized it contained alcohol, but could not spit it out because students were present during the final lesson.
Witness Accounts
Another staff member reported seeing a student with his head on the desk, and Kapur, aged 30, 'gently pulled him up from the desk with his hair.' The witness noted she was gesticulating, swaying, and speaking in an uncharacteristic manner. A Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel heard that the colleague asked to speak with her outside the classroom, whereupon she began to 'retch' and subsequently vomited in the staff toilet. Staff members did not detect alcohol on her breath, and Kapur attributed her condition to being 'a bit tired.'
Admission and Ruling
Kapur admitted to unacceptable professional conduct by bringing alcohol onto school premises, consuming it, and being intoxicated during school hours, thereby endangering pupils. The panel concluded she drank approximately one-third of a bottle of gin and lemon, knowing it contained alcohol, and chose to remain in the classroom. She has been banned from teaching for a period of two years.
