
Teacher endorsed petition wrongly accusing headteacher of racism
Joshua Adusei, 31, told the headteacher of Harris Academy Tottenham in north-east London that he would 'get him out' if he did not resign.
He set up a Change.org petition, which received more than 6,000 signatures before it was ended, said the headteacher had permanently excluded three black students from the school after one month in the role.
He also claimed his zero-tolerance behaviour policy was racist.
'I am going to start a petition to get you out'
The Metropolitan Police received reports of four death threats from the school, the Guardian reported.
Giving evidence to the panel, the headteacher said Mr Adusei came to his office on April 19, 2021, and told him he and others did not think he was doing a good job, and that he had come to request his resignation.
He said there was no attempt by Mr Adusei to specify his grievances or the basis upon which he was asking him to resign at the meeting, but he said that 'if you don't resign I am going to start a petition to get you out', which left him feeling threatened.
Another witness told the panel the following day, they saw Mr Adusei and another member of staff in the playground with around 10-20 students standing around them, which was 'unusual' as he should not have been on duty for their lunch.
Suspended
A Year 10 pupil who was stopped by the witness after walking past with their phone out - which was against school policy - said 'not gonna lie sir, a member of staff has told me to get it out to sign a petition'.
Mr Adusei was suspended the same day.
Addressing the claims in the petition, the headteacher told the panel he had only been directly involved in excluding two students and that the decision was taken in consultation with various other management staff.
He said there was 'no basis' for asserting that his actions disproportionately affected BAME or SEN students.
A separate Crowdfunder page, which claimed Mr Adusei had suffered 'a brutal exclusion and an attempted silencing and tarnishing of his reputation,' due to the incident also raised £320.
'Threatening online abuse'
The panel found Mr Adusei had made 'deliberate and pre-determined decisions to publish untrue and/or misleading comments about Colleague A (the headteacher) and then to manipulate the actions of children for his own private purposes', which it considered to be 'an abuse of his position and an abuse of trust.'
It had received evidence that the headteacher suffered 'threatening online abuse' as a direct of the petition, which had also led to plain clothes police officers being placed at the school gates.
The panel also heard that Scotland Yard had contacted the individual to implement enhanced protection measures as a result of the petition.
Further allegations that Mr Adusei had failed to complete welfare calls to 26 pupils in his tutor group and failed to teach online lessons on two occasions in January 2021 were also found to have been proven.
'Misconduct of a serious nature'
The panel was satisfied that Mr Adusei's behaviour 'amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession.'
Mr Adusei, who had been employed at the school since 2019, provided no mitigation to the panel or evidence of material insight or remorse for his actions.
In a written conclusion on Wednesday, decision maker Sarah Buxcey, acting on behalf of the Education Secretary, banned Mr Adusei from teaching indefinitely subject to a five-year review period.
She said: 'In this case, factors mean that allowing a lesser review period is not sufficient to achieve the aim of maintaining public confidence in the profession.
'These elements are the seriousness of the findings involving safeguarding failures and the lack of evidence of either insight or remorse.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Rhyl Journal
26 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Trump to land in Scotland on Friday for start of five-day private trip
The US president is expected to arrive at Prestwick Airport in the evening, before heading over to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. He is then expected to head over to his Menie golf course in Aberdeenshire before opening up a new course dedicated to his Scottish mother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis. He will leave the country at some point on Tuesday. His presence will result in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests around his golf courses and major Scottish cities. Mr Trump will be greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray when he lands, with the minister pledging to give the American leader a 'warm welcome'. He will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his stay when the pair will discuss the UK-US trade deal. The US president will also meet with First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader previously said he would have the opportunity to raise various issues with Mr Trump, including tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine. Speaking ahead of his arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential. He said: 'Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. 'That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links – including of course, with the President himself. 'As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. 'This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy. 'It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country. 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. 'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.' The SNP leader said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'. Ahead of protests expected around Scotland, he said people had a right to 'peaceful demonstration', adding that 'everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner'. 'That is right and proper,' he added. 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully. 'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires. 'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.'

South Wales Argus
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Trump to land in Scotland on Friday for start of five-day private trip
The US president is expected to arrive at Prestwick Airport in the evening, before heading over to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. He is then expected to head over to his Menie golf course in Aberdeenshire before opening up a new course dedicated to his Scottish mother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis. He will leave the country at some point on Tuesday. Donald Trump last visited Turnberry in 2023 (Andrew Milligan/PA) His presence will result in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests around his golf courses and major Scottish cities. Mr Trump will be greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray when he lands, with the minister pledging to give the American leader a 'warm welcome'. He will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his stay when the pair will discuss the UK-US trade deal. The US president will also meet with First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader previously said he would have the opportunity to raise various issues with Mr Trump, including tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine. Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer will meet during the president's trip to Scotland (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) Speaking ahead of his arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential. He said: 'Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. 'That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links – including of course, with the President himself. 'As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. 'This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy. 'It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country. 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. 'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.' First Minister John Swinney will meet Donald Trump during his visit to Scotland (Steve Welsh/PA) The SNP leader said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'. Ahead of protests expected around Scotland, he said people had a right to 'peaceful demonstration', adding that 'everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner'. 'That is right and proper,' he added. 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully. 'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires. 'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.'

Leader Live
26 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Trump to land in Scotland on Friday for start of five-day private trip
The US president is expected to arrive at Prestwick Airport in the evening, before heading over to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. He is then expected to head over to his Menie golf course in Aberdeenshire before opening up a new course dedicated to his Scottish mother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis. He will leave the country at some point on Tuesday. His presence will result in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests around his golf courses and major Scottish cities. Mr Trump will be greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray when he lands, with the minister pledging to give the American leader a 'warm welcome'. He will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his stay when the pair will discuss the UK-US trade deal. The US president will also meet with First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader previously said he would have the opportunity to raise various issues with Mr Trump, including tariffs, Gaza and Ukraine. Speaking ahead of his arrival, Mr Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides Scotland with an opportunity to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice for all, while also promoting Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential. He said: 'Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries. 'That partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links – including of course, with the President himself. 'As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. 'This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy. 'It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country. 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. 'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.' The SNP leader said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'. Ahead of protests expected around Scotland, he said people had a right to 'peaceful demonstration', adding that 'everyone has the democratic right to protect and express their views in a peaceful, and democratic manner'. 'That is right and proper,' he added. 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully. 'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US President requires. 'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.'