Ex-principal banned from teaching after fraud conviction

Barry Bloomfield. Photo / Supplied

A principal who ripped off his own school by selling property for personal gain on Trade Me has been banned from the profession - to the delight of the man who hired him.

Barry Bloomfield, the former principal of Huntly West Primary School, has been officially censured and deregistered by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal for fraudulent behaviour, which occurred in 2007.

While the deregistration was expected, Bloomfield told the Herald last night it was "very disappointing".

"I will be working hard to redeem myself in the eyes of my colleagues so that one day I can return to the profession I love so much and gave so much."

The 57-year-old, who spent five months on home detention this year for his crimes, defrauded the Ministry of Education by obtaining $17,500 in relief teacher payments for a bogus teacher. He also sold a school fence on Trade Me for $4600 and put the money into his own bank account instead of giving it to the school.

News that Auckland-based Bloomfield has been deregistered was welcomed by Robert Tukiri, the former chairman of Huntly West Primary School's board of trustees.

Mr Tukiri said Bloomfield had "completely fooled everyone" when he applied for the job in 2007.

"He had that gift of the gab. I chaired the panel that interviewed him - I think at the time we had five applicants - and I said 'this is the guy we want' ... but oh boy, did he take us for a ride."

Mr Tukiri said Bloomfield hadn't been at the school long when he started claiming payments from the Ministry of Education that he wasn't entitled to.

According to the police summary of facts he submitted 19 weekly relief payment forms on behalf of a relief teacher who did not work at the school, saying he had been employed for 93 days.

As a result $17,416 was paid into the relief teacher's account, of which Bloomfield was a signatory, and from which he later withdrew money.

As a result of an investigation into that fraud, other irregularities involving school finances were discovered.

One related to the sale of a galvanised steel fence that once surrounded the school and was stored in a shed.

The school board decided to sell the fence by offering it for tender in the school newsletter - something Bloomfield was asked to organise.

Bloomfield said only one tender had come in and that the fence had sold for $40. But he had sold it for $4600 on Trade Me and the money went into his bank account.

Mr Tukiri said that money could have been used in many ways by the school.

"We could have done a lot of things - upgraded the library or the playfield ... there's so many things we could have done with it."

Mr Tukiri said his reaction when he found out what Bloomfield had done was that "they can lock him up and throw away the key".

Hearing that he had been banned from teaching was "good news, I'd go along with that 110 per cent".

Huntly West's present principal said she did not want to comment as there were other issues still to be addressed in relation to Bloomfield.

It is understood there is a case before the Human Rights Commission in which Bloomfield alleges he was harassed by the school for being gay.

A Human Rights spokesman confirmed Bloomfield had taken a case to the commission and that both parties were committed to participating in a mediation process.