Dismissal of Teacher Sparks Debate on Religious Expression in UK Schools
A UK primary school teacher was suspended in March 2024 and later dismissed after telling a Muslim student that “Britain is still a Christian state,” citing the King as head of the Church of England and describing Islam as a minority religion. The teacher, who had also allegedly suggested the student could attend a nearby Islamic school if they preferred a religious setting, faced both police and safeguarding investigations. Although he was initially banned from working with children, he successfully appealed the decision and is now pursuing legal action against.
The incident arose after the teacher reportedly admonished a group of students for washing their feet in the sinks of the boys’ lavatories—an act linked to prayer preparation. Three pupils claimed he shouted at them, causing distress. The safeguarding officer concluded that the teacher’s comments were emotionally harmful and hurtful towards Islam, recommending a teaching ban. According to The Telegraph, the teacher’s lawyers argued that the school was a non-faith institution where playground prayers—and, by extension, ritual washing—had been informally prohibited, with a designated prayer room provided instead.
The school suspended the teacher in March 2024 and dismissed him shortly afterwards. In April, he was notified that he was being referred both to the safeguarding board and to the Metropolitan Police. The police investigation was later dropped, but the teacher was still banned from working with children until his appeal succeeded. He is now reported to be working part-time at another school outside London.
Commenting on the case, Lord Toby Young of the Free Speech Union stated: “This teacher lost his job and almost ended up being barred from the profession for life just because he pointed out to a class of Muslim schoolchildren that the national religion of England is Anglicanism. Things have reached a pretty pass in this country if a teacher can be branded a safeguarding risk because he says something that’s incontestably true.”
As reported by The Telegraph, the Free Speech Union has documented other similar cases, including that of Jamie Michael, a former Royal Marine who was banned from coaching youth despite being acquitted of inciting racial hatred. The organisation argues that professionals holding conservative or religious views are increasingly being targeted through safeguarding referrals.