TheParagon-Education

A Year 6 teacher was sacked for her “racist” description of pupils as “chattering monkeys”, a tribunal heard.

Charlotte Moore, who was a teacher at Trinity St Mary’s Primary School in Chelmsford, Essex, was investigated by police after parents complained her remark was “very racist” and constituted a hate crime.

Mrs Moore, whose class was described as “racially diverse” in an employment tribunal hearing, also “jokingly” threatened to shoot one of the pupils if they continued being disruptive, the panel heard.

The school launched a disciplinary investigation and Mrs Moore was later sacked for gross misconduct.

She tried to sue the school for unfair dismissal at the East London Employment Tribunal, but her case was dismissed.
The hearing was told Mrs Moore had taught at the school from April 12 2021 until her dismissal on July 27 2023.

In March last year, the school received a complaint from a pupil’s parent, alleging that Mrs Moore “told the class they were acting like a bunch of monkeys”.

The parent also complained that Mrs Moore “told the class that they are getting on her nerves so much she wants to shoot herself or them”.

A day later police commenced a hate crime investigation and visited Mrs Moore at school.

‘Overly dramatic statements’
However, the police quickly 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”.

Further allegations had also been raised about Mrs Moore’s behaviour, the panel heard, including that she hurt a child by grabbing the back of their neck, and shook another pupil while holding their collar.

One pupil said Mrs Moore made the class feel “scared and anxious”, alleging: “When we kept asking her questions she told us the next person who asks a question she is going to shoot them or herself.”

Nearly half 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 accepted using the words “you are like a bunch of chattering monkeys, quieten down and get on with your work”, but denied all the allegations.

She denied physical assaults and making threats, saying she often made “overly dramatic statements” to children in a “joking way”.

The school found using the word “monkey” was inappropriate as it could be perceived as a slur.

Employment judge Suzanne Palmer said of the monkeys comment: “The [school’s] conclusion on this issue… was effectively that the matter was serious because of the racial diversity in the class and ‘the pupil and parent perception was that the statement was racist.”

- Note: "Personally, When I was growing up, this was going on all of the time, it didn't cause me any problems when I was growing up. I have heard this term used many a time within the classroom. They do sound like chattering monkeys... Are parents today, too over sensitive? Are schools working by WOKE? I had a nurse in a NHS hospital call me a 'sausage' should I be offended by this? Most children they find this funny and it can help to build a relationship.... Is this ALL down to political correctness? What do you think?

How much was the child influenced by the parent, school senior staff?

Anything can be perceived as a slur and it can also be seen as being over dramatic. What was the demographic of the class?, the employment judge?, the parents, the child? The list can be endless, how long is a piece of string?