Headteacher banned from the classroom after using school credit card to pay train fares

A school principal in England was banned from class for using school credit cards to pay for train fares and Amazon and eBay orders.

In July 2023, the governors chairman received a letter from unnamed staff raising serious concerns about Christopher McPhilemy.

In December 2025, he was alleged to be guilty of unacceptable professional conduct while working as a headteacher at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School in Kensington and Chelsea, west London.

He allegedly used the school credit card for his own personal use and failed to account for all of his expenses on his school credit card between June 1, 2020 and July 12, 2023.

Annotated receipts provided to the panel during this period covered a wide range of the school’s credit card spend and included purchases from Amazon, eBay, Sainsbury’s/Argos, Oyster/Greater Anglia and a number of suppliers. The panel noted that the items purchased were wide-ranging and included educational materials, IT items, art resources, household items and electronic devices.

Mr. McPhilemy had annotated the receipts to distinguish between school purchases and his own purchases, but inside the package of receipts were what he described as “false purchases.”

There were also several items for which Mr. McPhilemy stated that he could no longer find the relevant documentation.

It was also alleged that he failed to ensure that records were kept regarding safeguarding concerns and staff employment documentation.

It also allegedly failed to ensure that all students’ records were transferred to new schools and requested that hard copies be shredded for students after they left between 2016 and 2023.

This March, the board noted that it found that Mr. McPhilemy “dishonestly and dishonestly charged personal expenses to his school credit card and made no attempt to reconcile or repay such charge.”

“The Panel further stated that it found that Mr McPhilemy failed to ensure that accessible records were kept in relation to safeguarding concerns or that appropriate records were kept in conjunction with staff employment documents and/or records.

“The panel also considered that maintaining up-to-date personnel documents and records, including the SCR, were vital components of safeguarding.”

The Financial Review Report noted that a total of £56,196.84 was spent on the credit card over three years and five months.

Of this, £29,317.50 has supporting credit card statements showing the type of expenditure, but for the remaining £26,879.34 no evidence of this expenditure has been provided. That review also concluded that the total spend of £56,196.84 “did not have a clear audit trail” and that “it was not possible to clearly determine how much credit card spend was.”

Although Mr McPhilemy repaid a total of £9,870.49 he spent on his credit card during the school’s internal investigation, the panel found “very limited insight or evidence of remorse”.

Mr McPhilemy is banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He/she will be able to apply for the lifting of the banning decision, but will not be able to apply until March 13, 2031.