Former South Kensington Head Teacher Indefinitely Barred After School Credit Card Misuse
A West London head teacher has been permanently barred from the teaching profession after a tribunal found he dishonestly used a school credit card for personal expenses over a three-year period. Christopher McPhilemy, former head of Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School in South Kensington, was prohibited from teaching indefinitely following a misconduct hearing on March 6, 2026.
Substantial Personal Expenditure Uncovered
Between June 2020 and July 2023, McPhilemy charged £4,612.50 in Oyster card top-ups and rail travel to the school credit card. Additionally, he spent £16,757.03 on Amazon purchases and other suppliers using the same card. When questioned about £1,784.60 spent specifically on Oyster top-ups and train tickets, McPhilemy told the panel he had "no idea how that happened" and claimed the school credit card had been accidentally linked to his Apple Pay.
Defense Claims of "Mistake Purchases" Rejected
McPhilemy argued that many of the Amazon transactions were "mistake purchases" because both his personal and school credit cards were linked to the same Amazon account. He provided some receipts showing portions of the spending were for legitimate school purposes, including educational materials, art resources, and IT equipment. In October 2023, after being suspended, he transferred £9,870.49 back to the school as reimbursement.
The tribunal panel rejected these explanations, finding his actions demonstrated a lack of integrity and fell significantly below expected standards for a head teacher responsible for public funds.
Broader Financial Management Failures
Over 41 months, a total of £56,196.84 was spent on the school credit card, with no statements provided for £26,879.34 of this amount. A Financial Review Report concluded the spending had "no clear audit trail" and it was impossible to determine what the credit card was used for with any clarity.
McPhilemy defended himself by pointing out that the school had no proper payment or record-keeping procedures and that he had to manage school finances himself after the bursar was made redundant. The school's credit card was paid via automatic monthly direct debit, clearing the balance regardless of whether receipts were provided.
Additional Safeguarding and Record-Keeping Failures
The misconduct hearing also revealed significant failures in safeguarding and record-keeping. The school could only locate very limited records for a former student involved in a criminal investigation, despite evidence the school was aware of a serious child protection matter. McPhilemy stated he was not the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Staff records were poorly maintained, with "many empty files" discovered and virtually no records for current staff found in his office. However, an allegation that McPhilemy failed to ensure pupil records were transferred to new schools and requested hard copy records be shredded was not proven by the panel.
Travel Allowance Discrepancy
Records showed McPhilemy had previously requested reimbursement for a full annual season ticket in 2020, which the school refused. He claimed that when he started at the school, he was given an Oyster card and an Addison Lee card for an inner London travel allowance.
The tribunal concluded that repeatedly charging personal travel and other expenditure to a school credit card over several years, while failing to maintain receipts or any audit trail, represented actions that fell "significantly below the standards expected of a teacher and a head teacher responsible for the financial management and stewardship of public money."
Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School declined to comment on the tribunal outcome.
