Teacher showed blackface film to class of nine and 10-year-olds
A primary school teacher who accidentally showed a film clip containing blackface to a class of pupils aged nine to 10 has been found to have behaved inappropriately.
Grace Whiley played the video of an old Sinbad film during an English lesson for Year 5 pupils at Bluebell Primary School in Norwich.
The Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) said she should have been aware that its content would be considered unacceptable by modern standards.
Ms Whiley was also found to have said a pupil was 'daddy's little princess' and that Muslims 'are entitled and think they're better than everyone else' a month later.
However, she was not banned from teaching, despite being found to have made 'inappropriate and derogatory remarks' and 'stereotyping people in a negative way on the basis of their culture or cultural or religious heritage or presentation'.
In January 2024, while the Year 5 pupils were studying Sinbad the Sailor, Ms Whiley played the clip because it showed Sinbad's dress and appearance, she told the TRA 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'.
The panel found that although it was accidental, Ms Whiley should have ensured that any video she used in her class teaching was appropriate for her pupils.
It said: 'She had not been sufficiently thorough in her checking of the video and, in consequence, had exposed the Year 5 pupils in her class to the blackface film content.
'The panel found that this constituted her behaving in an inappropriate way.'
In February 2024, Ms Whiley was accused of stating that Pupil B was 'daddy's little princess' and making the remarks about Muslims.
The teacher denied using those words.
She admitted that 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.'
Ms Whiley said there were no pupils present.
The panel found that the remarks she made included 'daddy's little princess' and said words to the effect of 'that's how Muslims are', 'they are entitled' and 'they think they know better than anyone else'.
It said that it was 'incumbent upon Ms Whiley as a teacher 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'.
The panel went on: 'In a school environment there was also the potential for remarks made near a classroom to be overheard by third parties, including pupils.
'Teacher must ensure that they do not behave in a way that may lead 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.
Accusations that Ms Whiley had referred to another pupil as a 'watermelon' in a classroom were not found to be proven.
The panel said an order banning Ms Whiley from teaching was 'not proportionate or in the public interest' because of her 'remorse' and the 'low risk that she would repeat the behaviour'.
Ms Whiley resigned from teaching in March 2024.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Indian woman vanishes after arriving in US for an arranged marriage
A 24-year-old Indian woman vanished days after arriving in the United States for an arranged marriage, authorities said this week. . Simran Simran's flight from India arrived on June 20, according to police. Surveillance footage discovered cops apparently shows the woman looking at her phone and seemingly waiting for someon. Lindenwold, NJ, Police, who first learned Simran Simran was missing on Wednesday, said she didn't appear to be in distress in the video. Police say Simran Simran, 24, vanished after arriving in NJ for an arranged marriage. Lindenwold Police Department/ Facebook Investigators were told she had come here for the arranged marriage — but it was also possible she had no intention to marry, and merely wanted a free trip to America, police said. Simran stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and is said to weigh about 150 pounds and has a small scar on the left side of her forehead. She was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a white T-shirt, black flip flops, and small diamond-studded earrings. She has no relatives living in the states, and speaks no English. Her international phone only works via Wi-Fi. Simran has no relatives in the states, and doesn't speak English. Lindenwold Police Department/ Facebook Police have also been unable to reach relatives in India. Information on Simran's whereabouts should be directed to Lindenwold Police Det. Joe Tomasetti, cops said.
10 hours ago
Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon
LONDON -- LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner confirmed that he recently fired two members of his team — fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, who themselves were replacements for people involved in the player's doping case — but declined Saturday to explain the reason for the change ahead of Wimbledon. Sinner, who has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year, said that he decided shortly after losing in the second round of the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, this month to make the change. Sinner has not yet found substitutes for Panichi and Badio, who both used to work with Novak Djokovic. 'Nothing seriously bad happened. They did great work for (the past) three months. Sometimes, things happen,' Sinner said at his pre-tournament news conference. 'The timing obviously isn't the best, but having done a lot of work (together) before, it won't affect this Grand Slam a lot. I feel well physically and mentally and ready to compete.' Play begins Monday at the All England Club, where Sinner was a quarterfinalist in 2024. He will play Luca Nardi in an all-Italian matchup on Tuesday. Last year, Sinner tested positive twice for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March; the case wasn't made public until August, shortly before the U.S. Open, which he ended up winning for the second of his three Grand Slam titles. He initially was completely cleared, based on the defense that he accidentally was exposed to the banned substance, Clostebol, via a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer at the time, Umberto Ferrara, purchased a product in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that ended right before the Italian Open in May. On Saturday, Sinner was asked repeatedly in English and Italian what led him to part ways with Panichi and Badio. 'There's not one specific thing,' Sinner said. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open three weeks ago, wasting a two-set lead and three match points in a final that lasted 5 1/2 hours.
Fox Sports
11 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon
Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner confirmed that he recently fired two members of his team — fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, who themselves were replacements for people involved in the player's doping case — but declined Saturday to explain the reason for the change ahead of Wimbledon. Sinner, who has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year, said that he decided shortly after losing in the second round of the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, this month to make the change. Sinner has not yet found substitutes for Panichi and Badio, who both used to work with Novak Djokovic. 'Nothing seriously bad happened. They did great work for (the past) three months. Sometimes, things happen,' Sinner said at his pre-tournament news conference. 'The timing obviously isn't the best, but having done a lot of work (together) before, it won't affect this Grand Slam a lot. I feel well physically and mentally and ready to compete.' Play begins Monday at the All England Club, where Sinner was a quarterfinalist in 2024. He will play Luca Nardi in an all-Italian matchup on Tuesday. Last year, Sinner tested positive twice for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March; the case wasn't made public until August, shortly before the U.S. Open, which he ended up winning for the second of his three Grand Slam titles. He initially was completely cleared, based on the defense that he accidentally was exposed to the banned substance, Clostebol, via a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer at the time, Umberto Ferrara, purchased a product in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that ended right before the Italian Open in May. On Saturday, Sinner was asked repeatedly in English and Italian what led him to part ways with Panichi and Badio. 'There's not one specific thing,' Sinner said. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open three weeks ago, wasting a two-set lead and three match points in a final that lasted 5 1/2 hours. As for adding new team members, Sinner said Saturday: 'I haven't thought about replacements. It's not the time to think about my options. But there are a lot of options.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis: in this topic
