A TEACHER has been jailed for 15 months for dealing drugs to pupils at an Oxfordshire school.

Rachel Ryan was head of business studies at Banbury Academy while running her own business on the side.

Police said she specifically used her business knowledge to run her trade.

She was caught after another teacher saw a student texting in class, and after seizing the phone, realised that the student was texting Ryan about getting drugs.

It was established that Ryan had been offering Valium for sale, as well as ordering class C drugs to be delivered to her address in Banbury.

She was arrested on 24 June, 2016, and police found she had a quantity of heroin.

The total amount of drugs seized had a likely street value of about £1,900.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Bryan Groves, of Oxford Force CID, said: "Rachel Ryan used her knowledge gained as the head of Business Studies in her role as a drug dealer.

"This was seen in one of her text messages where she offered a discounted price if a drug user purchased more than 100 tablets.

"Rachel Ryan had trust placed in her as a teacher. She had responsibilities and should have been someone for her students to look up to. She abused that trust and has let her students down."

Ryan, 41, who now lives in Fford Bryngwyn, Gorseinon, Swansea, was convicted and sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.

She pleaded guilty to three counts of being concerned in the supply of class C drugs, three counts of importing a class C drug with intent to evade a prohibition /restriction, and one count of possessing a class A drug – heroin.

She was suspended from her job at the school after she was arrested.