A Fife teacher accused of mocking a dyslexic pupil also made fun of a disabled comedian, talked about fat people and referred to a red-haired pupil as “the ginger one”, it has been claimed.
English teacher Donna Gilchrist is also said to have shown second year pupils a violent film with an 18 certificate during her short spell at Beath High School.
And a “shell shocked” pupil support assistant reported youngsters were shown a Russell Howard clip where the comedian takes to the stage dressed as a penis.
Beath pupils began saying they did not want to attend Donna Gilchrist’s English classes as they felt so uncomfortable with her alleged behaviour.
Principal teachers Debbie Gibson and Louise Hutchison said they had concerns about Gilchrist from the moment she started at Beath.
But they told a hearing of the General Teaching Council for Scotland that when they spoke to her about the issues she became defensive and, on one occasion, aggressive.
And she claimed she did not have time to check whether videos were appropriate before showing them in class.
The allegations follow Monday’s claims that Gilchrist spoke about porn, used racist language and mocked a devout Christian pupil by making comments about God,
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.
‘Showed film containing offensive and sexualised language’
Mrs Hutchison said Gilchrist had previously worked at schools in Dundee and Aberdeen and appeared confident and experienced when she started at Beath in December 2017.
However, concerns quickly emerged.
She said a pupil support assistant (PSA) reported the playing of a Sarah Millican video in a third year class in which the comedian refers to masturbation.
And Gilchrist is alleged to have played the 18-certificate film Green Street, which is about football hooliganism and contains violence and swearing.
A clip was used as a listening exercise, during which 13-year-old pupils were asked to analyse the language.
“The PSA was shell shocked,” Mrs Hutchison said.
She said she took scanned copies of pupils’ jotters containing notes of the exercise to show the head teacher.
“There was language that was offensive, prejudiced and sexualised. It needed to be passed on,” she said,
Spoke about fat people and a pornographic magazine
Mrs Gibson told the GTC Scotland panel several pupils from different classes reported “inappropriate comments and offensive remarks” made by the teacher.
She said: “She had been speaking about fat people and also told a personal story about how her husband had sent her to the shop at a garage to buy a pornographic magazine.
“They said there were concerns about the behaviour in class.
“And she had also referred to a boy in the class who had red hair as the ginger one.
“Additionally, she had made a comment about one of the girls, saying she needed to improve her mindset if she didn’t want to have a short and crappy life.”
She added: “There was also information to suggest Mrs Gilchrist showed an inappropriate YouTube clip of comedians, including a disabled comedian whom she mocked.”
‘No time to check resources before showing pupils’
Mrs Gibson and Mrs Hutchison said they met Gilchrist to discuss the claims.
“Mrs Gilchrist advised she felt she shouldn’t be expected to check the resources she was using as she didn’t have time,” said Mrs Gibson.
“We explained it was absolutely her responsibility to check what she was showing pupils and if she didn’t know the content then it shouldn’t be shown.”
Mrs Gibson said Gilchrist’s teaching style seemed to antagonise pupils.
“In the beginning she seemed shocked and surprised there was any issue,” she said.
“Then she became frustrated and kept arguing her point instead of simply accepting she had made errors of judgement.”
Gilchrist allegedly told a Fife Council investigation she used the videos to settle “unruly” pupils in her class.
Full list of allegations against Donna Gilchrist
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 has been adjourned until May 29, when it is likely to conclude.
