A teacher in Bournemouth has been permanently banned from the profession after making deeply offensive and discriminatory remarks to Muslim students during a classroom discussion.
Alex Lloyd, 51, who served as the Head of Sixth Form at The Bishop of Winchester Academy, made inappropriate comments while leading a lesson on honour killings.
According to a misconduct hearing, Lloyd told one female Muslim pupil that she “would have been killed” for her outfit if she lived in Iran. He also remarked that the topic was especially relevant to “their culture” and told the pupils to “pay attention.”
Mocking Comments and Discriminatory Behaviour
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) reported that Lloyd mocked the pupils’ faith by sarcastically referring to Islam as a “religion of peace” during the lesson. He further made upsetting statements, asking students to “imagine this was your mum being killed,” while referring to honour killings.
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Students in the class said they were “visibly upset” and “felt insecure” after the incident. One student accused Lloyd of “using racist stereotypes against a corner of us in the class.”
Lloyd also allegedly said that “female genital mutilation happens exclusively in your culture” and that honour killings occur “mainly because of [their] culture.”
Investigation Findings and Panel Ruling
The TRA panel found Lloyd’s comments to be “targeted and discriminatory,” concluding that they reinforced harmful stereotypes and went far beyond the boundaries of appropriate teaching material.
Although some former students described Lloyd as “a nice teacher and good person,” the panel noted there was “no evidence of remorse or understanding of the gravity of his actions.”
Panel chair Sarah Buxcey ruled that Alex Lloyd will be permanently prohibited from teaching in any school, sixth-form college, or youth institution in England.
“The panel did not see any indication that Mr. Lloyd grasped the seriousness of his behaviour or showed empathy for those affected,” the report stated.
School’s Response
In a statement, a spokesperson for The Bishop of Winchester Academy said:
“We acknowledge the decision of the Teaching Regulation Agency to prohibit Alex Lloyd from teaching. The individual concerned is no longer employed at the academy and has no involvement with our students or community.”
The school emphasized that the welfare and safety of students remain its top priority, adding that it continues to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and safeguarding among staff.
“As this matter has now been concluded by the TRA, we will not be making any further comment,” the statement concluded.
