A headteacher used her school’s funds to purchase a giant Jenga set, cocktail glasses, and Marks & Spencer food for her family, all while criticizing government cuts to education.

Kanchana Vanhove, 42, used the school’s Amazon account to buy household items such as croquet sets and outdoor lights. She also charged wedding-related expenses to the school, including place cards and invitations.

In March 2019, she co-signed a letter from headteachers condemning inadequate school funding and calling for a meeting with the education secretary. However, just two weeks later, she spent over £200 on M&S food for a private event during the Easter holidays and later claimed it as school expenses.

A High Court judge has now rejected Vanhove’s appeal against the Teaching Regulation Agency's (TRA) decision to ban her from teaching for two years over nearly £1,000 of unauthorised spending.

Claimed items meant for school

Ms. Vanhove denied the allegations, insisting the purchases were either for the school or made by another staff member.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) found that she began misusing school funds in November 2018 while serving as headteacher of Wareside Church of England Primary School in Ware, Herts.

Two months after being appointed permanent part-time headteacher in September 2018, she informed colleagues that she planned to order “a few things for the Remembrance service” using the school’s Amazon account. She later used a headteachers’ event as justification for buying Martini cocktail glasses.

Among her purchases were two croquet sets for £44 and a giant garden Jenga set for £29.99, which she claimed were for the school. In November 2018, she withdrew money from the school’s bank account to buy 120 paper aeroplane place cards, claiming they were for a science event. However, text messages to a sign-maker revealed they were actually for her wedding.

Her spending was exposed when the deputy headteacher grew suspicious and reported concerns to the chairman of the school governors, triggering a full audit of the school’s finances.

‘Panel had sufficient evidence’

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) determined that Ms. Vanhove made £929.69 in payments that did not benefit the school.

After resigning in December 2019, she appealed the TRA’s misconduct ruling, arguing that the case against her was based on “speculative evidence.” However, Judge Mr. Justice Sweeting dismissed her appeal, stating that the panel had enough evidence to support its conclusions and was justified in questioning her credibility while favoring other witnesses' testimonies.

The court rejected her claim that she had purchased four sets of 16 large plastic Martini cocktail glasses and 30 Champagne flutes for a school event. Regarding her food purchases in April 2019, the court noted that the order was collected on Good Friday when schools were closed and no events were scheduled.

Additionally, the court heard that Ms. Vanhove, a pilot in her spare time, charged school expenses for a sign commissioned to promote aviation careers to children. The spending was uncovered when a photograph of the sign appeared on the company’s social media page.