School teacher sacked for mocking parents’ Asian accents, tribunal hears

• Pramod Thomas
• 21 January, 2022

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By: Pramod Thomas

A tribunal has heard that a primary school teacher in Berkshire mocked parents’ Asian accents and hurled racist and homophobic insults at fellow members of staff, reported MailOnline.

• Iqbal Khanem at New Christ Church Primary School in Reading had also branded colleagues ‘bloody lesbians’.
• Following the hearing, an unemployment judge dismissed her unfair dismissal and age discrimination claim.
• Khanem, who taught children as young as five, also left pupils in their ‘soiled’ clothes for 45 minutes and let one cry unattended for 20 minutes, the MailOnline report added.
• According to the report, the teacher claimed she was a victim of ‘witch hunt’ when she was subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
• She even described her language towards staff as just ‘light-hearted banter’.

Khanem was sacked for gross misconduct in May 2019, but appealed the decision.

Earlier, she tried to sue the school for age discrimination by claiming bosses targeted her because she is over 50 and on an expensive salary.

The report added that she worked at the school from February 2014 until her dismissal in May 2019.

In November 2016, it was alleged Khanem made a child ‘get changed into different clothes in front of the rest of the class’.

Rejecting her claims of unfair dismissal and age discrimination, employment Judge Rebecca Eeley ruled Khanem’s age had had nothing to do with the decision to sack her.

“It is apparent to the tribunal that she would be likely to behave [towards children] in the same way again in the future. She believes that this is her style of teaching and that it is legitimate even if it is not currently fashionable,” the Judge was quoted as saying by MailOnline.