Primary school teacher used racial slur toward colleague - hearing

Sam Rigby was previously employed at Green Meadows Academy in Leeds

A primary school teacher who used a racial slur towards a black colleague has appeared at a misconduct hearing.

Sam Rigby, formerly employed at Green Meadows Academy, in Leeds, is said to have made the remark on 1 October 2021.

On Tuesday, a Teaching Regulation Agency panel heard that at the time he had been tasked with coordinating Black History Month at the school.

Mr Rigby admitted making the comment but denied it had been racially motivated. The hearing continues.

The panel was told that on the day of the incident Mr Rigby had been talking to his colleague, referred to as colleague A, about Black History Month when a second colleague interjected resulting in colleague A making "a joke" about slavery in Africa.

Mr Rigby was said to have been left feeling "uncomfortable" by the remark and left the classroom and reported what was said to the headteacher.

Later that day when the three colleagues met at a local pub colleague A reiterated that the earlier comment had been "in jest".

Mr Rigby responded by using a racial slur.

Giving evidence to the panel, colleague A stated the remark had left him "furious" and he threw his drink in Mr Rigby's face.

He said: "If only he had said sorry in that instance there, we wouldn't be sat here.

"It would've been forgotten about, he'd still be at the school. I had no issues with him at all, we used to have a laugh and a joke.

"The fact that he was a black history representative at school made it even worse, that was what I was furious about."

He said Mr Rigby had refused to apologise at the time but had later sent him an apology via text message, which he did not accept.

He told the panel: "He said 'I'm sorry, I thought we were having a laugh together' - in no situation can he call me that name.

"You have no idea how that feels to be called that name."

Diane Ellis, representing Mr Rigby, said he had been trying to "join in in an ill-conceived way in the banter that had been created" by his colleagues and had not intended to cause any harm.

Since his dismissal from the school, she said Mr Rigby, who attended the hearing, had continued to work in the profession and said his contribution to teaching had been "extraordinary".

The hearing continues.