A teacher has been banned from the profession after telling pupils that gay and trans people are "mentally ill" during a classroom discussion, with a disciplinary panel finding the comments amounted to discriminatory behaviour.
William Garwood, 60, was prohibited from teaching following a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) investigation into remarks made during a Year 11 history lesson at St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in West Yorkshire in October 2023.
The panel found that Mr Garwood made comments to the effect that "gay and transgender people are mentally ill" while teaching a lesson on the history of Nazi Germany.
In its ruling, the TRA concluded that the comments were inappropriate, unrelated to the curriculum and had the potential to cause harm to pupils.
The panel said it was particularly concerned by the remarks about LGBTQ+ people because of their potential impact on young people in a school environment.
"The panel also considered the comments relating to homosexuality and transgender people to be especially problematic given their potential impact on school-aged children," the decision stated.
Panel members noted that issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity are matters of significant public discussion and sensitivity, making it especially important that teachers approach such topics responsibly and professionally.
Mr Garwood denied misconduct and argued that his views were rooted in his Islamic faith. During the hearing, he said his position on trans issues reflected his religious beliefs and claimed these had been used to portray him as "a psychological threat to children's wellbeing".
The teacher also maintained that he had not expressed an opinion about gay people, arguing instead that pupils had misunderstood his religious beliefs and created a "false caricature" of his views.
However, the panel rejected his arguments and found that the comments constituted unacceptable professional conduct.
In its findings, the TRA said the remarks were not only outside the educational purpose of the lesson but were delivered without any attempt to provide balance or alternative perspectives.
"As such, the panel concluded that the conduct was clearly inappropriate and significantly outside the bounds of acceptable teaching practice," the decision said.
The panel further found that Mr Garwood's comments about gay and transgender people fell within the scope of discriminatory behaviour.
The TRA imposed a prohibition order, preventing Mr Garwood from teaching. He will not be able to apply to have the ban reviewed until June 2032.
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