Susan Pletnick, 56 - from Johannesburg, now in UK - borrowed money for a variety of reasons - including flights to South Africa , private healthcare, visa applications and a house deposit. Picture: Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School

A South African woman, who works as a teacher in the UK, has been banned from the classroom indefinitely after she failed to pay back more than R800 000 she borrowed from her school, her colleagues and parents of her pupils at the Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School in Salford, in Greater Manchester.

Susan Pletnick, 56, from Johannesburg was found to be "dishonest" and had "abused her position" as a teacher and special educational needs co-ordinator at the Salford school when she borrowed over £30 000 (R800 000) she claimed was for flights to South Africa, for private medical care, visa renewal applications and a deposit for a house.

Pletnick, a Wits University alumnus who attended a high school in Benoni, worked at the school from April 2013 to April 2019. She borrowed £4 000 (R107 000) from the school's charity, another £4 000 (R107 000) from a colleague and a total of £23 500 (R627 000) from parents of pupils.

In February 2018 parents lent her £5 000 (R133 000) to travel to South Africa but she later said her flights had been cancelled and she needed more money for a new flight. The parents lent a further £4 440 (R119 000).

That same year the same parents lent her another £12 800 (R341 000) to pay for a visa renewal after she said she would otherwise have to return to South Africa.

Another parent said they gave Pletnick £1 500 (R40 000) for a medical procedure. The teacher initially said this was for dental work, but then later said it was to pay for an operation to have kidney stones removed.

Pletnick claimed she was "desperate" and had no way of repaying the loans.

A report, by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), a UK government body responsible for investigating teacher misconduct and ensuring teachers meet professional standards, states that Pletnick tried to delay the investigation by citing health issues, which the panel ultimately dismissed as unsubstantiated.

The TRA heard how the teacher repeatedly assured her lenders that she would repay the money, but had not paid back a single cent.

The parents who helped out Pletnick with thousands of Pounds have said lending her their money had had “devastating financial consequences” for them.

The TRA panel said Pletnick had "abused her role" as a teacher by borrowing money from those in the school community, describing her conduct as dishonest, lacking integrity, and a severe departure from professional standards.

But Pletnick denied that she had abused her power as a teacher to obtain money from people. She said that she had no money, was struggling financially after moving from South Africa to the UK and was desperate.

She said this led her to ask people for help and/or accept money from people when it was offered, the read the report.

The teacher could not provide adequate explanations or repayments, which led to the panel’s recommendation for professional sanctions.

In the final ruling, Sarah Buxcey, representing the Education Secretary, said the misconduct was serious enough to warrant a ban from the teaching profession.

”I consider therefore that a three year review period is required to satisfy the maintenance of public confidence in the profession. This means that Mrs Susan Pletnick is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England,” said Buxcey.

Pletnick will be eligible for a review of the ban in three years.

The Saturday Star has sent Pletnick several questions via Facebook, asking about the loans she took, the reasons the loans were not repaid, and her response to the tribunal's decision to ban her from the teaching profession. However, she had not responded by the time of publication.

Verna van Diemen

South African teacher faces lifetime ban after borrowing over R800k from school and parents