A seasoned English teacher at one of London‘s top private schools has been banned from teaching after admitting he smoked ‘crystal meth on the weekends’.
Primary teacher Charles Richard Miles sought to tell bosses at the international Dwight School that he only abused the drug – part of the amphetamine family of stimulants – to ‘relax’ and that he was ‘pretty controlled’.
But after police discovered evidence of his habit at his flat, Mr Miles’ employer – which charges tuition fees of up to £37,500 a year – reported the 64-year-old to the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The veteran teacher, who had taught at the school for 40 years, has now been banned from the profession amidst ‘concerns regarding (his) presentation, wellbeing and professional functioning’.
A professional conduct panel heard Mr Miles had worked at the school – which has sister sites in New York, Dubai, Hanoi, Shanghai and Seoul – since 1985, latterly as an English as an Additional Language and Learning Support Teacher.
In November 2024, police attended at his Hackney flat after he reported concerns of ‘water bulging’. Officers later told social workers, who noted in a report that it was ‘clear that he… smokes crystal meth’.
This led to a meeting between Mr Miles and school bosses, where he said of his employers: ‘They’re concerned about that crystal meth use but as I am trying to explain I am not addicted to it’.
Concerns continued to be aired into the next year, and in April 2025 Mr Miles began telling colleagues of his intention to retire.
Charles Miles, a teacher at London’s Dwight School, considered his use of crystal meth a ‘private matter’
Miles worked as a primary English teacher at the school, which charges up to £37,500 a year in tuition fees
The next month, the school sent him letters regarding his ‘Crystal Meth usage on weekends’, and a subsequent acknowledgement of his retirement.
While there was no evidence that any pupils were harmed by Mr Miles’ drug use, the panel concluded that there were indications of ‘repeated’ use of the drug that had affected his fitness to teach and to look after children.
School bosses had noted that his presentation and behaviour had been affected, culminating in an incident that sparked concern on November 5 2024 when he was asked to leave the school – the details of which are redacted from public view.
The regulatory panel, having heard from Mr Miles himself and the school, concluded that his ability to give pupils a safe environment was ‘seriously compromised’.
The teacher told regulators that his drug use was a ‘private matter’ separate from his teaching career. The panel thought differently.
It considered him to lack insight into his actions or any remorse. No evidence was given of any attempts to get help for his drug use.
A report from the panel noted matter-of-factly: ‘Knowledge of a teacher engaging in the consumption of crystal methylamphetamine would likely diminish public confidence in that teacher’s suitability to fulfil such a role.’
It made a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell, to prohibit Mr Miles from teaching again in order to protect pupils and maintain public confidence in teaching, which was accepted on her behalf by civil servant.
Mr Miles – who is also an amateur poet – is now retired. Should he wish to return to teaching, he can apply to have the ban reviewed in five years’ time.
