A teacher at a private school in Northamptonshire has been banned from teaching after repeatedly using racist language about students.
A professional conduct panel found that Philip Pedley, a history teacher at Oundle school, where fees can be more than £35,000 a year, told colleagues he did not “want to teach blackies and chinkies in my classroom” and told one pupil “your father must have come over, stealing our jobs”.
The panel also concluded that Pedley:
- Said to a pupil: “Oh you’re from [redacted]. Does your dad do boom boom?”
- Said a pupil should be put “on the next boat back to [redacted]”.
- Told one pupil he was “pretty good for a foreigner”.
- Asked “did you bring any illegal substances?” after enquiring about another pupil’s father’s job.
Pedley, 60, was found to have used swearwords in class and breached the school’s code of conduct by consuming alcohol in the presence of pupils while on duty during a school trip to Budapest and Vienna. He also purchased alcohol for an underage student and allowed students to drink excessive amounts of alcohol while on the trip.
Despite finding that Pedley had made derogatory statements, the panel concluded he should not be banned from teaching because of “the overwhelming evidence in support of [Pedley’s] ability as an excellent teacher”. However, this recommendation was overruled by the education secretary, Damian Hinds.
The panel said more than 50 pages of statements and letters had been provided that displayed “overwhelming” backing from “colleagues, parents, former and current pupils from a range of ethnicities and backgrounds”.
Several students had also praised Pedley extensively on teaching websites.
The panel considered that this evidence “very clearly demonstrates that Mr Pedley is an effective, dedicated and well respected teacher who has positively influenced the lives of pupils in many areas of school life throughout his 37-year career at the school”. Although the panel found Pedley’s actions amounted to “unacceptable professional conduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute”, they concluded a ban would be “punitive”.
But Dawn Dandy, on behalf of the education secretary, overruled the panel and said a full teaching ban was proportionate.
Dandy said: “I do not feel that the panel has given adequate weight to the potential damage to the public perception of the teaching profession if behaviours such as those found proven are not dealt with appropriately and proportionately.”
Pedley told the panel he never intended to offend or upset his pupils and that if he had, he regretted it “enormously”. He said that while he had used racist language, he was not racist and “abhors racism”.
According to employment tribunal documents, Pedley brought a claim against Oundle but withdrew it last year. Pedley can ask for the ban to be lifted in two years.
A spokesperson for Oundle school, which is 12 miles (19km) south-west of Peterborough, said Pedley’s employment was terminated in December 2016: “The school complied with its regulatory duties in reporting Mr Pedley’s departure from the school to the appropriate authorities.
“The Department of Education conducted its own investigation through the National College for Teaching and Learning. Its findings are now in the public domain. Oundle school is committed to the welfare of its pupils and to promoting the highest professional standards in its staff.”
Notable Oundle alumni include the conservationist Sir Peter Scott and the economist Sir Alan Budd.