Teacher screened 'inappropriate' blackface film

A primary school teacher who accidentally showed a film clip containing blackface to a class of Year 5 pupils has been found to have behaved inappropriately.

Grace Whiley played the video of an old Sinbad film during an English lesson at Bluebell Primary School in Norwich.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel said she should have been aware of content considered unacceptable by modern standards.

The Broads Horizon Education Trust (BHET), which runs the primary, said: "We do not tolerate racism or discrimination in any form."

Blackface is a racist historical practice which involves people painting their faces in an attempt to resemble a black person, usually to mock them for the entertainment of white people and promote negative stereotypes.

In January 2024, while children were studying Sinbad the Sailor, Ms Whiley played the clip because it showed Sinbad's dress and appearance, she told the panel.

She claimed to have only previewed five minutes of the film clip before playing it and was not aware of there being any blackface in the part she saw.

Ms Whiley stopped the clip when she noticed it and mentioned to the class that the film was "old fashioned and that sometimes things were shown differently now", the TRA heard.

The panel found that although it was accidental, Ms Whiley should have ensured any video was appropriate for pupils.

"She had not been sufficiently thorough in her checking," the TRA concluded.

"The panel found that this constituted her behaving in an inappropriate way."

In another incident in February 2024, Ms Whiley was accused of stating that Pupil B was "daddy's little princess and that's how Muslims are" and that Muslims "are entitled and think they are better than everyone else".

The teacher denied using the words.

She admitted she had said to another staff member: "I was surprised by her [Pupil B's] behaviour but thought it might be because she has been spoilt by her father because Islamic fathers sometimes do that."

The TRA said it was "incumbent upon Ms Whiley in a school setting not to make any derogatory remarks about any individual pupil or parent, or group of pupils or parents, or to stereotype such persons in a negative way on the basis of their culture or cultural or religious heritage or presentation.

"Teachers must ensure that they do not behave in a way that may lead to others to think that it was acceptable for teachers to hold views such as Ms Whiley had expressed or make remarks of the nature made by Ms Whiley."

It found that she had behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way in relation to those allegations.

Owen Jenkins, chief executive for BHET, said: "When concerns were raised... we acted swiftly and began an internal investigation.

"However, we referred the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), as we believed the concerns warranted further scrutiny, which has since upheld several allegations regarding the conduct.

"We fully support the TRA's outcome of the process, and remain focused on creating safe, respectful environments in all our schools."

It added the trust was "committed to diversity, inclusion, and ensuring all members of our community are treated with respect".

Ms Whiley resigned from her job in March 2024 before the internal investigation concluded, but the panel said an order banning her from teaching was "not proportionate or in the public interest" because of her "remorse" and the "low risk that she would repeat the behaviour".