Muslim teacher banned after telling pupils 'gay and transgender people are mentally ill'

A Muslim teacher who told pupils gay and transgender people are "mentally ill" and "Ukrainians are Nazis" has been banned from teaching.

During a misconduct investigation into his comments, William Garwood told a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel that he was entitled to his religious belief in Islam and to the philosophical belief of anti-Nazism.

The panel heard that during a Year 11 history lesson at St Mary’s Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in West Yorkshire in October 2023, Mr Garwood, 60, was asked "are there any just wars?", to which he replied: "Yes."

A child in the class, known as Pupil A, alleged that he said he was "happy" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was killing "satanic Nazis" in Ukraine and that the world was run by billionaires who created "evil Ukrainians".

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The TRA found that Mr Garwood’s comments amounted to justification of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in front of pupils.

During the same class, the teacher also made comments to the effect that "gay and transgender people are mentally ill", it was found.

In his evidence, Mr Garwood said that his Islamic stance on transgender issues, which he believed also "coincided with traditional British values", had been used to "assert that he was a psychological threat to children’s wellbeing."

The panel wrote this stance was then used to "emotionally manipulate safeguarding professionals".

Mr Garwood said that he did not give an opinion on gay people “but asserted that he is a Muslim and that this position is known, and that students misinterpreted this and formed a false caricature of him”, the TRA said.

The teacher also said that he considered he was "entitled to his religious belief in Islam and to the philosophical belief of anti-Nazism" under Section 10 of the Equality Act 2010, the panel heard.

He added that the TRA’s investigation "represented a political reaction" to his comments, which he said "reflect a legitimate difference of opinion".

But the panel said that it "considered the comments made by Mr Garwood to be clearly inappropriate and wholly unrelated to the subject matter of the lesson on the history of Nazi Germany".

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It went on: "The panel noted that the remarks involved a significant and highly subjective value judgment, which had no relevance to the curriculum content being delivered.

"Even if there had been some contextual link, the terminology used would not have been acceptable.

"In particular, the panel highlighted that the statement amounted to an impermissible generalisation, effectively labelling Ukrainians as evil or Nazis, which was inappropriate.

"Further, the panel expressed concern about the use of inappropriate labels directed at individuals or groups, particularly in a classroom setting."

The panel also considered the comments relating to homosexuality and transgender people to be "especially problematic given their potential impact on school-aged children, noting that this subject matter is one of common public discussion and sensitivity."

It went on: "The panel also considered that the comments were not only out of line with the educational purpose of the lesson but were also delivered without any attempt to provide balance or explore alternative perspectives.

"As such, the panel concluded that the conduct was clearly inappropriate and significantly outside the bounds of acceptable teaching practice."

The TRA also found that Mr Garwood’s comments about Ukrainians and gay and transgender people "fell within the scope of discriminatory behaviour".

The ruling means Mr Garwood is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England

He cannot apply for the banning order to be set aside until June 2032.

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