A primary school teacher at a £37,500-a-year private school in north London has been banned from the profession indefinitely after admitting to using crystal meth on weekends to "relax".

Charles Miles, 64, an English and learning support teacher at Dwight School London, claimed his use of the class A stimulant was "pretty controlled" and maintained he was "not addicted". However, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel ruled that his actions amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and barred him from teaching nationwide.

The matter came to light in November 2024 after police attended Mr Miles' home in Hackney when he called authorities to report "water bulging". According to evidence presented to the tribunal, social workers who subsequently attended said it was "clear" the teacher was smoking crystal meth.

A disciplinary report stated that while there were no reports of direct harm to pupils, Mr Miles was "impacted by ongoing class A drug use". During a meeting with school leaders in January 2025, Mr Miles sought to downplay the habit, saying: "They're concerned about that crystal meth use but as I am trying to explain I am not addicted to it."

The regulatory panel found that Mr Miles, an amateur poet who had worked at the school for nearly four decades, showed "limited insight and/or remorse". The tribunal noted that public confidence in the teaching profession could be "seriously weakened" if cases involving class A drugs were not treated with the utmost seriousness.

In its written ruling published on Thursday, the panel stated: "The panel had had sight of evidence in the bundle that Mr Miles’ view had been that his drug use was a private matter, separate from his professional engagement as a teacher."

Chris Beddows, the head of Dwight School London, said the school acted swiftly once concerns were identified. He explained that Mr Miles was told not to return to work in October 2024 after staff raised immediate concerns regarding his fitness to teach following a two-week half-term break.

"The school was proactive in its actions and told Mr Miles not to return to work from October 2024, as serious concerns around his fitness to work in our school were immediately noted upon arrival on his first day back to work after our two-week half term break," Mr Beddows said. "It was after this time that the drug allegations surfaced, and we subsequently collaborated with the relevant local authority and agencies leading to the TRA referral which happened in June 2025."

Mr Beddows confirmed that the drug use occurred entirely outside the school and did not affect student safety. Mr Miles retired from teaching at the end of the academic year in summer 2025. Under the TRA order, he is banned from teaching in England, though he may apply for the prohibition to be reviewed in five years' time.

I will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as further details emerge.