A Wandsworth headteacher has been banned from the classroom for two years after the General Teaching Council (GTC) found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

Roselyn Donovan, who worked at Heathmere Primary School, in Alton Road, Roehampton, was investigated by the GTC earlier this month.

The investigation was a response to allegations that between January 2002 and November 2004, she bullied staff, failed to report child protection cases and mismanaged school finance procedures.

Mrs Donovan, who did not attend the decision-making hearing into her case, was found guilty of the allegations, the most serious being her failure to report "potentially serious child protection incidents". She is said to be abroad, possibly in the Caribbean.

The teaching council found she did investigate the claims but, in failing to report them to social services, put the wellbeing of four pupils at risk.

It confirmed her management style was unpredictable and aggressive, and could have been construed as bullying. The investigation highlighted serious shortcomings in the way money was stored and banked.

The council felt that while Mrs Gribble, the senior administrative officer dealt with these procedures, Mrs Donovan in her role as headteacher, had overall responsibility for the school's financial systems.

A GTC spokesman said: "We have no doubt Mrs Donovan's conduct fell considerably short of the standards to be expected of a registered teacher."

During the investigation the council found Mrs Donovan did not publicise jobs, either internally or externally, and employment contracts were not drawn up.

In mitigation, a report following the hearing noted she had co-operated with the investigation.

Officers received a letter saying that, having resigned, she felt she had "no chance of securing another teaching post".

It noted that she had suffered depression and that the school was a "challenging" one in which to work. However, the GTC received no apology for her conduct.

Mrs Donovan's case was brought to the GTC's attention by Wandsworth Council, the local education authority, which had already suspended her from teaching at Heathmere.

Its spokesman said: "The council, in conjunction with school governors, acted quickly to suspend this headteacher and launch disciplinary proceedings. She had been offered a great deal of support and assistance prior to this, but ongoing concerns about her performance and ability to run the school properly left no alternative.

"She tendered her resignation before those disciplinary proceedings could take place and as a result we reported this case to the General Teaching Council."

Mrs Donovan has accepted some of the shortcomings, particularly with reference to the financial allegations. She has been banned from teaching for two years.

If she decides to return to the profession, she will face a public hearing to judge whether she has been of good character during the suspension.

Mrs Donovan was given 28 days to appeal against the GTC's decision.