Teacher banned indefinitely after remarks on Ukraine war and transgender issues during Year 11 lesson

William Garwood, 60, was banned indefinitely from teaching in England by the Teaching Regulation Agency after a panel found he had justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and made discriminatory remarks about gay and transgender people. GB News reported that the ban prohibits Garwood from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He cannot apply for the order to be set aside until June 2032.

The misconduct occurred during a Year 11 history lesson at St Mary’s Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in West Yorkshire in October 2023. ” The panel found these comments amounted to justification of Russia’s invasion in front of pupils. During the same lesson Garwood made comments to the effect that gay and transgender people are mentally ill, the panel found.

It concluded that the remarks fell within the scope of discriminatory behaviour and were clearly inappropriate. Garwood told the panel he was entitled to his religious belief in Islam and to the philosophical belief of anti-Nazism under Section 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

He said his Islamic stance on transgender issues coincided with traditional British values and that the investigation represented a political reaction to his comments.

The panel rejected these arguments and stated that the conduct was outside the bounds of acceptable teaching practice.