A primary school teacher at a Church of England school has been sacked over allegations of racism after she called pupils in her class ‘chattering monkeys’.
Charlotte Moore, a Year 6 teacher at Trinity St Mary’s school in Chelmsford, Essex lost her job following complaints after she used the remark to try and quieten down her class.
Some angry parents claimed it was a ‘very racist comment’.
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The Mail Online reports: However, within days the police closed their investigation as ‘they were satisfied she used the phrase “chattering monkeys” to the entire class and that this had been taken out of context and would not be considered a racial slur or hate crime’.
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There were further allegations that the ‘very strict’ teacher grabbed one pupil by the back of the neck and shook another, while she was also accused of ‘jokingly’ threatening to shoot one of them if they continued to be disruptive.
Pupils were quizzed and said Mrs Moore ‘called us a bunch of monkeys’ and made them ‘scared and anxious’.
Fourteen of the 30 children in her class were interviewed and the concerns were repeated by a number of them, the tribunal heard.
In an interview, Mrs Moore denied all allegations and accepted using the words ‘you are like a bunch of chattering monkeys, quieten down and get on with your work’.
She denied physical assaults and making threats, saying she often makes ‘overly dramatic statements’ to children in a ‘joking way’.
She was fired for gross misconduct. The school found using the word ‘monkey’ was inappropriate as it can be a slur.
Employment Judge Suzanne Palmer dismissed Mrs Moore’s unfair dismissal complaint.
