North London teacher sacked after admitting to using crystal meth to ‘relax’

His offending became clear when police attended his East London home for a separate issue

A North London private school teacher has been sacked after they admitted using crystal meth to “relax”, a tribunal heard. Primary teacher Charles Miles, 64, worked at Dwight School in Barnet, north London when he called police to report “water bulging” at his home in Hackney.

Officers attended his home in November 2024 and social workers later reported that it was “clear” that the English and learning support teacher “smokes crystal meth”, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard. The report said Mr Miles was “impacted by ongoing class A drug use” and used crystal meth “on weekends”, but said there was no report of any harm to children.

Mr Miles went to a meeting with the school in January 2025, the tribunal heard, and notes of the meeting seen by the panel recorded the teacher saying: “They’re concerned about that crystal meth use but as I am trying to explain – I am not addicted to it.”

The 64-year-old, who taught at the school for nearly 40 years, stressed that he used crystal meth to “relax”, and said his use was “pretty controlled”.

Mr Miles admitted he had used the drug while he worked as a teacher and that this amounted to “unacceptable professional conduct” and the panel ruled that he had committed serious misconduct. The report reads: “In the light of the panel’s findings against Mr Miles, which involved unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, there was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils; the maintenance of public confidence in the profession; and declaring and upholding proper standards of conduct, given the serious findings ofuse of a class A drug.”

Though Mr Miles retired at the end of the school year in summer 2025, in a written decision, published on Thursday, the TRA panel ruled he should be banned from teaching indefinitely.

The tribunal said Mr Miles had “limited insight and/or remorse” about his drug use after ruling that “Mr Miles’ view had been that his drug use was a private matter, separate from his professional engagement as a teacher”.

He can apply to have the ban reviewed in five years.

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