Teacher who told pupils not to be a “fa**y” and “fa***t” banned from teaching

A teacher who used words such “fa**y” and “fa***t” when dealing with pupils has been banned from teaching.

A tribunal heard that Terence Wall, who worked at the Hambleton/Richmondshire Pupil Referral Service in Northallerton, also pushed a student and shouted at a colleague.

A Teaching Regulation Agency professional conduct panel met after complaints were made about Mr Wall’s behaviour in 2019 and an internal investigation was carried out by the school.

The panel watched CCTV footage of Mr Wall pushing a student.

Evidence was also provided to the panel by several people.

One witness said they had been stood in a corridor at the school when they heard shouting coming from another corridor.

The panel said: “He stated that, when he entered the corridor, he could see Pupil A screaming at Mr Wall and being abusive towards him.

“He stated that Pupil A had started to walk away from Mr Wall, and as she did, Mr Wall stated “stop being a fa**y.”

During the school’s own investigation Mr Wall admitted saying to a pupil “don’t be a fa***t”.

The teacher said he had not been ware of any connotation until he looked it up later, and that his understanding of the
meaning of the word was “reticent in doing something”.

Mr Wall, 68, did not attend the hearing and was not represented.

The panel heard the teacher had previously stated he had retired from the profession.

Members of the panel found that there was no evidence to suggest Mr Wall was acting under extreme duress, such as physical threat or significant intimidation at the time of the incidents, however the panel accepted that he was experiencing significant personal difficulties at the time.

The panel concluded “that Mr Wall was working in a challenging environment, accepting pupils that had been excluded from their mainstream schools”.

It said: “Mr Wall was an unqualified teacher and his application form for the post at the school indicated that his previous experience of teaching consisted of a series of fixed term contracts.”

It added: “Mr Wall did have a previously good history, but there was no evidence that he had demonstrated exceptionally high standards in both his personal and professional conduct or that he had contributed significantly to the education sector.”

Mr Wall was issued with a prohibition order preventing him from teaching in any school or college indefinitely, however he can apply for the order to be reviewed after two years.

The panel also heard an allegation that the teacher made derogatory remarks calling someone in front of colleagues “that f***ing woman” and/or a “b**ch”, or words to that effect, however this allegation was not proven.