Maths teacher asked Muslim pupil if she had bomb under hijab
A maths teacher who asked a Muslim student if she had a bomb under her hijab has been allowed to continue teaching.
The remark was one of a string of offensive comments made by Mark Holland towards his pupils at Great Academy Ashton, Greater Manchester.
During a lesson in December 2022, Mr Holland approached a Year 10 student with a bun hairstyle under her hijab.
He asked her: 'Do you have a bomb in there?', which was heard by two other students.
Mr Holland also continually called the Muslim girl a nun for the way she looked.
On another occasion he told a student: 'In 10 years time when we meet again you're gonna have nine kids to nine different dads.'
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel also found he called students in the school's classrooms and corridors a 'dumb blonde', 'hideous' and 'a football girl'.
In a separate incident Mr Holland drove out of school and stopped next to a boy and a girl walking home.
He asked the boy: 'Is this your girlfriend?'
When he replied yes, he said: 'You could have done better,' before driving off.
Another time when one student said a fellow pupil looked like a James Bond character, Mr Holland replied: 'You mean Jaws?'
'Insensitive and inappropriate'
The panel found the remarks, made towards Year 7 to Year 11 pupils between March and December 2022, were not racially or sexually motivated.
They said Mr Holland was attempting to 'build a rapport' with the students, but that his comments were 'insensitive and inappropriate'.
Mr Holland left Great Academy Ashton in September 2023, but has not been banned from teaching.
The TRA panel said: 'Mr Holland's actions were not deliberate in that he did not intend to be malicious or unkind to pupils.
'The panel concluded that Mr Holland misjudged the content of the conversations he was having as a way to build a rapport with pupils.
'We considered the conduct of Mr Holland was insensitive and inappropriate and fell short of the standards of behaviour expected of a teacher.'
Mr Holland had been teaching for more than 15 years and previously had a good history.
A colleague said: 'Mark is a thoroughly professional teacher with an ability to captivate and inspire with his skills in communicating complex mathematical ideas to learners at all levels.'
The panel, led by Sarah Buxcey, concluded that 'a prohibition order is not proportionate or in the public interest', and added: 'The publication of the findings made would be sufficient to send an appropriate message to the teacher as to the standards of behaviour that were not acceptable.'
Great Academy Ashton's most recent Ofsted report in 2023 said the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management, all require improvement.
It said: 'The majority of pupils who communicated with inspectors feel safe at the school but they said that the conduct of the minority makes some pupils feel unsafe at times.'
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