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Fife teacher ‘told class God was fat, black and gay’

Donna Gilchrist is also accused of using racist language by calling a pupil 'n****r'.

Beath High School in Cowdenbeath
Beath High School in Cowdenbeath. Image: Google Street View

A Fife teacher told a second year English class that God was fat, black and gay, it has been claimed.

Donna Gilchrist is alleged to have claimed religion was “a load of rubbish” during a discussion with pupils in a class at Beath High School.

The teacher and a boy in the class are also said to have used racist language, calling each other “n****r” while “trying to have a laugh” during a lesson.

The claims were made during the third day of a General Teaching Council (GTC) for Scotland  hearing, when the statements of two former pupils were read out.

Panel members previously heard that Gilchrist had mocked a dyslexic pupil, made fun of a disabled comedian and played a violent, 18-certificate film to a class of second years.

And shocked pupils felt so uncomfortable they began saying the did not want to attend her classes.

The allegations cover a period between December 2017 and February 2018.

Gilchrist spent just 18 days at Beath High School and is no longer employed by Fife Council.

Teacher told class she ‘tried a lot of different drugs’

GTC Scotland presenting officer Jennifer McPhee read a statement from a girl known as Pupil B.

It said: “One time the teacher was having a discussion about something. She was having a laugh with some of the others.

“She said God was fat, black and gay.

“And she said religion was a lot of rubbish. We said to her a boy in the class was Christian but she didn’t care because that was her belief.”

A Fife teacher faces porn allegations at Beath High School, Cowdenbeath.
Beath High School, Cowdenbeath.

The girl said Gilchrist also told the class she used to drink alcohol and had tried a lot of different drugs.

“She wasn’t saying it was something bad,” she said.

“There wasn’t really any context to it. It was just said randomly.”

She added: “There was also a boy who wasn’t in the class who used to come in and just sit down and have a laugh with her.

“At times he would call her n****r and she would say it back to him.

“They joked about this with each other.

“Neither of them were black. It’s like they just wanted to be pals.”

Shouted in pupil’s face

Pupil B also claimed Gilchrist shouted in her face when she tried to defend a friend.

She said the teacher was refusing to help the girl, known as Pupil A, who has dyslexia.

“She came over to me quite aggressively and was right in my face,” she said.

Meanwhile, Pupil A said she was mocked when she asked for an “overlay”, used by pupils with dyslexia to make it easier to read text.

She said: “My friend is also dyslexic and she told Mrs Gilchrist she should be helping us.

“Mrs Gilchrist said it was her fault she had it and she should be helping herself.”

Both pupils said they felt frustrated in class as they were often watching comedians on YouTube instead of learning.

The hearing was told they girls eventually left the class and complained to the depute head.

Full list of allegations against Donna Gilchrist

Gilchrist is not attending the hearing.

However, the panel heard that in an interview with Fife Council she claimed she used the videos to try to establish a rapport with the pupils.

She described the class as “unhappy in their educational learning environment” and “extremely reluctant”.

The allegations against the teacher at Beath High, as set out by the GTCS, are as follows.

Between December 2017 and February 2018 it is claimed that the teacher:

  • Made comments regarding God which were upsetting to pupils in her class
  • Mocked her pupil – referred to as Pupil A – as a result of her dyslexia
  • Showed a number of videos to pupils in lessons which were not materials approved of by the school; were not relevant to the classes being taught; included offensive language; and were not age-appropriate
  • Had discussions on the subjects of drugs and alcohol and portrayed these in a positive light
  • Told her class an anecdote about being asked to purchase a pornographic magazine for her husband
  • Used and condoned racist language in the classroom, in that she used the word ‘n*****’ in discussions with pupils, and allowed pupils to use the word ‘n*****’ without objection.

The watchdog says as a result of these claims, the teacher is unfit to work in the profession.

If any allegations are found to be proven, it will then be up to the GTC whether to impose any sanctions.

These could include being banned from teaching.

The hearing continues.

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