Maths Teacher Asked Muslim Student If She Had A Bomb Under Her Hijab

A maths teacher has not been excluded from the classroom after asking a Muslim student if she had a bomb under her hijab, a tribunal heard.

Mark Holland made a series of improper comments including calling a student a ‘dumb blonde’ and telling a female student she ‘could do better’ in reference to her boyfriend.

However, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel determined that banning Mr Holland from teaching would ‘not be proportionate or in the public interest.’ 

Between March and December 2022, the secondary school teacher made several improper remarks to students at Great Academy Ashton in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside. 

Other comments include telling a teenager ‘Bet you have loads of boyfriends with your looks’ and dubbing another ‘The Liar.’ 

He worked at the school for nearly five years but in September 2023 was forced to leave after a disciplinary hearing.

The panel said his comments towards the Muslim student, who he called ‘The Nun’ were ‘not racially motivated but were likely to be religiously insensitive’.

They said his conduct ‘fell short of the standards of behaviour expected of a teacher, but ruled that it ‘did not meet the threshold for serious misconduct.’ 

He ‘willingly apologised’ for the allegations against him and said he would ‘adjust the manner in which he engaged pupils.’

Mr Holland claimed to have ‘misjudged the content of the conversations as an easy way to build a rapport with pupils’.

In a written ruling the TRA said Mr Holland’s conduct was ‘not consistent with behaving as an appropriate role model to students.’

Decision maker Sarah Buxcey wrote: ‘I have concluded that a prohibition order is not proportionate or in the public interest. 

‘I consider that the publication of the findings made would be sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that were not acceptable and that the publication would meet the public interest requirement of declaring proper standards of the profession.’

The hijab is prohibited in many nations, but it is accepted in the UK, which explains why there are so many issues here.

I think all school-age children should wear the same uniform, but some of the people who have moved here think it’s okay to break the law. This has to stop before our nation devolves into chaos like the nations from which they have fled, otherwise, we are heading to become a third-world country in some respects, although we might already be there!

I always wonder why they come over to the UK but still insist on dressing and abiding by laws as they do in their oppressed countries. If it’s so good back home, then goodbye! Our government should start with the prohibition of full face coverings that make them look like walking Daleks. They are in England for goodness sake, not some godforsaken war-torn country.

It is completely inappropriate and not banter to tell a student that he bets she has a lot of boyfriends because of her appearance. This was a basic lack of respect and judgment. He should focus on being a grown-up and teacher because that’s what he’s supposed to be, not someone attempting to build a rapport by humiliating his students. He probably believed he was being humorous – being one of the lads.