Nottingham teacher banned after drinking alcohol in class

A former English teacher has been banned from the profession after drinking alcohol and having slurred speech while taking a class at a school in Nottingham. Annika Kiran Kapur started working at Djanogly City Academy in August 2024, but was suspended in January 2025 and sacked in March. A professional conduct panel heard she admitted bringing a water bottle into school, which contained alcohol, and drinking a third of it. Kapur, 30, admitted unprofessional behaviour and putting pupils at risk of harm, and was given a prohibition order with a minimum term of two years. The panel read statements that confirmed Kapur admitted hiding alcohol in a water bottle while celebrating her birthday. She also accepted she mistakenly brought the bottle on to school premises on 27 January 2025, while it still contained gin and lemon, and drank about a third of the contents. Kapur said she could not spit it out, because the children were there, and they would question what was in the bottle. Further statements showed members of staff present report she was slurring her words, seemed unsteady on her feet and was heard to vomit in the staff toilet. Another witness reported her as "swaying from side