Pamela Arnasalam

Introduction

Pamela Arnasalam spent more than two decades at King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool, rising to Head of Modern Foreign Languages. In February 2026, a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found proved allegations against her including two convictions for alcohol-related driving offences and a conviction for common assault arising from an incident on the same day in April 2019, though a further allegation about failing to report an absence to her school was found not to amount to unacceptable professional conduct. On the panel’s recommendation, the Secretary of State for Education prohibited her from teaching, with no provision for a review period.

Background Information

Arnasalam began at the school on 1 June 2002 and progressed to Head of Modern Foreign Languages. The panel heard that she had “presented well” and that there had been no issues about her teaching, with no doubt cast on her abilities as an educator. She resigned before March 2022; the panel found that her second driving offence occurred after that resignation but within the effective notice period of her employment, keeping the matter within the TRA’s jurisdiction.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. The findings below are regulatory findings made on the balance of probabilities by a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). The drink-driving and assault convictions are court-record facts established through a memorandum of conviction and a certificate of conviction, which the panel accepted as conclusive proof; Arnasalam made no admissions and was not represented at the hearing. They are findings of professional misconduct — the underlying convictions are themselves matters of court record.

The allegations were set out in a Notice of Proceedings dated 26 March 2024. It was alleged that Arnasalam was convicted on 19 November 2019, and sentenced on 12 December 2019, for being in charge of a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit on 25 April 2019, contrary to section 5(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and that she was also convicted of common assault (battery), contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, receiving a 12-month conditional discharge. A memorandum of conviction dated 26 November 2024 showed a breath reading of 134 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, in excess of the prescribed limit, and both offences appeared on her Police National Computer record. A police report and CCTV footage further substantiated the allegations.

The second offence was a conviction on 31 March 2022, sentenced on 7 June 2022, for driving a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit on 13 March 2022, contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. A certificate of conviction showed a sentence of 12 weeks’ custody, suspended for 12 months, and a reading of 132 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. Citing Zebaida v Secretary of State for Education [2016] EWHC 118, the panel was satisfied that, having resigned but remained within her effective notice period, she was still engaged in teaching for jurisdictional purposes. Allegations 1(a), 1(b), 2(a) and 2(b) were all found proved.

The final allegation was that on one or more occasions between January 2020 and April 2021 she failed to report her absence to the school when required. Witness A gave evidence that on 12 October 2020 Arnasalam did not attend work and did not report her absence; her return-to-work document, treated as contemporaneous, carried a note that she had “failed to contact” and referred to a welfare call the witness confirmed he had made. The panel found these facts proved but concluded the allegation did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, and the Secretary of State put it “entirely from my mind”.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel identified strong public interest considerations: the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils and the public, public confidence in the profession, and upholding proper standards of conduct. It noted that members of the public reported the 2019 incident, indicative of the potential impact upon the profession, and observed that “the behaviour involved in committing the offence could have had an impact on the safety and/or security of pupils and/or members of the public, due to the inherent danger in operating a vehicle whilst intoxicated”. Finding breaches of the statutory guidance Keeping children safe in education, it concluded that Arnasalam’s behaviour “fundamentally breached the standard of conduct expected of a teacher”, outweighing the public interest in retaining a teacher of her experience, and recommended a prohibition order with no provision for a review period.

Current Status

The panel convened virtually from 23 to 25 February 2026, sitting in private; Arnasalam did not attend and was not represented, and the date of determination was 25 February 2026. On the panel’s recommendation, the Secretary of State imposed a prohibition order with no provision for a review period. The decision records that allegations 1(a) and 1(b) amounted to a relevant conviction, that allegations 2(a) and 2(b) amounted to both unacceptable professional conduct and conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute, and that her conduct fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. The outcome was published on GOV.UK in March 2026.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The ban closed a career of more than two decades, though Arnasalam had already resigned by the time of the 2022 offence. The panel expressly acknowledged “some public interest in retaining her as a teacher in the profession”, given her long service and the absence of any issues about her teaching, but held that this was outweighed. Alongside the prohibition, she was left with a suspended custodial sentence for the 2022 driving offence, a conditional discharge for the 2019 assault, and a second drink-driving conviction.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Pamela Arnasalam,” published 23 March 2026 — source