Headteacher from TV's Educating Cardiff is found guilty of serious misconduct after changing term times to fit her luxury cruise holidays

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:46, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 11:53, 3 June 2026 A headteacher who starred on Educating Cardiff has been found guilty of serious misconduct after she changed the dates of school terms to accommodate her luxury cruise trips. Joy Ballard, who shot to fame on Educating Cardiff, now faces being struck off after changing the dates on two occasions. She also used a school car for a personal trip to France and bought a karaoke machine with school funds. Faced with a string of allegations, Mrs Ballard is said to have created a 'toxic culture of fear', leaving senior staff too scared to make any complaints about her conduct. After a three-month adjournment, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) tribunal has said she could be struck off. The TRA panel ruled that some of her conduct amounted to misconduct of a serious nature that fell short of the standards expected of the profession, and may have brought the profession into disrepute. Mrs Ballard appeared on the hit Channel 4 show in 2015 at Willows High School in the Welsh capital. Shortly after the show aired, she left to become principal of Ryde Academy from September of that year, later renamed Lift Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. Joy Ballard, a headteacher who appeared on Channel 4 documentary series Educating Cardiff, could now be struck off Mrs Ballard was headteacher of Lift Ryde, formerly Ryde Academy, for nearly a decade before her sudden exit In 2024, she 'stepped back' from her role - with her picture suddenly removed from school newsletters sent out to parents. Concerns were first raised about her in March of that year. In July 2024 the Academy Enterprise Trust (AET), now Lift Schools, said the departure was for 'personal reasons'. At the hearing Jim Olphert, for the TRA, said Mrs Ballard has admitted all the facts against her and concluded that the risk to the school was 'notable and significant'. The panel heard Mrs Ballard changed the school term dates to accommodate her personal holiday arrangements. She changed the dates at the end of Autumn 2023 to accommodate a cruise trip she went on, and she also changed the dates of the start of the Spring term 2024 for a second trip, it was alleged. The misconduct hearing was told that Mrs Ballard did not go to school on an inset day, January 3, 2024, because she was still travelling as part of a cruise trip. It also heard that Mrs Ballard used a Peugeot 5008, purchased for £30,000 with school funds to be used as a vehicle for school purposes, for personal trips between July 2022 and June 2024. This included for a personal family trip to France in or around Easter 2024. Mrs Ballard retired suddenly in 2024, with Lift Schools citing 'personal reasons' as the reason for her departure She allegedly bought camping equipment, a karaoke machine and at least one TV with school funds between April 2021 and October 2022 - all items which were of limited use to the school. The tribunal heard that Mrs Ballard did not follow the correct procedures for the banking of cash between September 2022 and June 2024. She allegedly carried cash in her handbag to take it home and then bank it. Mrs Ballard said of her behaviour upon resumption of the hearing: 'I reflect upon that every day how stupid it was. 'I would do anything in my power to keep funds on the Isle of Wight to support kids that need it. The Island is desperately underfunded. 'For what I was once celebrated for, has now become something I am criticised for, apart from the car thing which was an error.' Giving evidence, Will Doyle, current principal of the school and Mrs Ballard's successor, said she created a 'toxic culture of fear' which left staff too scared to raise concerns. Mr Doyle said her behaviour reached a 'tipping point' at a four-hour long meeting of the school's senior leadership team (SLT) on March 28, 2024. The teacher, who was initially 'excited' to work with Mrs Ballard, said during a meeting about redundancies she swore. 'To have someone use that language, to then being told I might be made redundant was devastating for me', he said. Mr Doyle also recalled the 'significant impact' changing school term dates at the end of 2023 to 2024, to accommodate Mrs Ballard's cruise, had on attendance figures. Parents and staff had already booked holidays for Christmas and families 'voted with their feet', he said. Asked why he did not raise concerns sooner, Mr Doyle said he was 'scared for the repercussions'. In September 2024 a letter was sent to parents, signed by regional education director Karl Sampson, confirming Mrs Ballard had 'retired' after 30 years in education. It said: 'On behalf of everyone at Ryde and Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) more widely, I'd like to thank Mrs Ballard for her commitment to the school and everything that has been achieved under her leadership. 'We wish her all the best for the future and a happy retirement.' During this time, vice principal Will Doyle oversaw the academy under the guise of 'head of school', before being appointed principal in October last year. The hearing has now concluded and a written recommendation about what happens next will now be sent to the Secretary of State. Educating Cardiff was an eight-part documentary series that was the fourth part of Channel 4's Educating series - following Educating Essex, Educating Yorkshire and Educating the East End. No comments have so far been submitted. 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