A former primary school headteacher who described a pupil as a ‘fat slug’ and branded another ‘f***ing ugly’ has escaped a ban from the classroom.
Nicola Brogan, who worked at Woodland Community Primary School, in Heywood, Lancashire, also nicknamed a teacher ‘Captain Camp’ in reference to his sexuality and called a parent who was Scottish a ‘f***ing jock,’ a teaching misconduct panel found.
The experienced headteacher, who led the school between September 2011 and December 2019, created an ‘uncomfortable and negative working environment’ that left some staff in fear, they said.
Although the panel found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and bringing the profession into disrepute, they did not recommend Mrs Brogan be banned from teaching altogether.
They said she deserved ‘considerable credit’ for helping steer the 470-pupil school out of special measures and to achieve a ‘good’ rating with Ofsted. She had also made a ‘significant contribution to the teaching profession,’ had ‘expressed regret’ about her behaviour and had an unblemished record, working for 22 years without any complaints, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found.
A three-day hearing, in Coventry last month, was told that Mrs Brogan was appointed to turn around the struggling school in September 2011.
Less than four years later, in June 2015, Mrs Brogan told local paper, the Heywood Advertiser, that securing the ‘good’ rating from Ofsted had taken four years of ‘hard work…dedication and blood, sweat and tears.’
But she was subsequently referred to the TRA in November 2019, following two anonymous complaints about her behaviour.
Nicola Brogan, who worked at Woodland Community Primary School, in Heywood, Lancashire, has avoided a classroom ban over her comments towards pupils
Woodland Community Primary School, in Heywood, Lancashire, where Nicola Brogan worked
Mrs Brogan, who gave evidence in person to the hearing, admitted making abusive and inappropriate comments about pupils, teachers and parents in a group WhatsApp chat set up for senior leaders at the school.
Other comments included calling a teaching assistant a ‘fat cow’ and claiming another member of staff, who was late for a meeting, wouldn’t need an inhaler if she ‘wasn’t so fat.’ She also described one pupil as a ‘wimp’ and said another ‘annoys the f*** out of me, he has no personality.’
The panel also found she inappropriately joked with a teacher about whether they would have sex with an Ofsted inspector in return for an outstanding rating. She was also inconsistent and moody in her dealings with staff and shouted at them inappropriately in her office on at least two occasions.
The TRA report said: ‘The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Mrs Brogan, which concerned abusive and inappropriate comments about staff, pupils and a parent, was very serious.
‘There was a significant weight of evidence from staff which confirmed that this behaviour had a seriously negative impact upon the working environment of the school and adversely affected how staff felt and behaved.
‘The working culture at the school at the material time was at times negative and hostile. Some pupils and some staff members were clearly not always treated with respect by Mrs Brogan.’
Although the panel concluded that some staff members had been left distressed by Mrs Brogan’s behaviour, it did not result in ‘any appreciable harm to pupils,’ their report said.
She was also cleared of several other allegations, including making staff members cry, mimicking a Polish accent and threatening to ruin a member of staff’s career.
Ruling on behalf of the Education Secretary, Sarah Buxcey agreed with the panel’s recommendation not to ban Mrs Brogan from the classroom, adding: ‘A prohibition order is not proportionate or in the public interest.’