In a London school, a teacher’s comments about Britain’s religious identity have sparked a storm, leading to a career-altering ban
A senior detective from the Met Police’s child abuse investigation team was involved. (Image: Rob Browne)
A shocking case has emerged of a primary school teacher being barred from working with children after making comments to a Muslim pupil about Britain’s religious identity.
The incident, which took place at a London school, led to the teacher being referred to the local child protection board and even caught the attention of a senior detective from the Met Police’s child abuse investigation team, reports The Telegraph.
The case has fueled growing concerns among free speech advocates that laws designed to protect children from harm are being misused to suppress right-wing opinions.
This follows Express’ recent revelation that Jamie Michael, an ex-Royal Marine, faced a similar ban after posting a Facebook video protesting illegal immigration.
Controversy erupts over feet-washing in school sinks
According to reports, the unnamed teacher allegedly reprimanded students for washing their feet in the boys’ bathroom sinks.
He reportedly informed the child who complained that the school was not a religious institution, but an Islamic school was just a mile away if they preferred to attend there instead.
The teacher also pointed out that “Britain is still a Christian state” and noted the King’s role as head of the Church of England.
Teacher’s attempt to explain British values backfires
Following the feet-washing incident, the teacher tried to educate the year six class about the importance of tolerance as a British value. However, it was alleged that he reminded the children that Islam is a minority religion in the UK, which sparked further controversy.
The school took swift action, suspending the teacher in March last year and subsequently dismissing him. Just a month later, in April 2024, he was informed of his referral to the safeguarding board and the Metropolitan Police. Although the police inquiry was later dropped, the damage to the teacher’s career had already been done.
Safeguarding boards under scrutiny
Safeguarding boards, established in 2004 following the tragic murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman by school caretaker Ian Huntley, aim to shield children from dangers posed by adults working with them. In this case, the safeguarding officer concluded that the teacher’s comments about Islam were hurtful and had caused emotional harm to the child, leading to the ban.
The teacher, now backed by the Free Speech Union, is suing the local authority after successfully appealing the ban. He is currently understood to be working part-time at another school outside London.
Free Speech Union director slams ‘pretty pass’ in Britain
Lord Young, director of the Free Speech Union, expressed his dismay at the situation, stating, “Things have reached a pretty pass in this country if a teacher can be branded a safeguarding risk because he says something that’s incontestably true. If he’d claimed that Islam is the official religion of England, even though that’s not true, I doubt he would have got into any trouble.”
Three children in total filed written complaints against the teacher, which were examined by nine individuals, including the local safeguarding officer, a detective sergeant from the child abuse investigation team, two social workers, an HR adviser, and the school’s headteacher. The children claimed the teacher’s outburst left them upset and scared, and that he had shouted at them.
The teacher, who had worked at the school for nearly three years, was sacked in February. He maintained that his summary dismissal for gross misconduct was unjust, noting that a teaching assistant present during the lecture about Britain being a Christian state had raised no concerns.
