Teacher sacked for ‘jokingly’ threatening pupils to “ship them off to the gas chambers” if they didn’t finish their homework

Newberries Primary School in Radlett has dismissed a teacher after she reportedly told her pupils: “You better finish off your work quick, or I’ll ship you all off to the gas chambers.”

The comment was made to a class of 28 ten-year-olds, eleven of whom are Jewish.

The teacher was then challenged by one of the pupils over her comment, following which she said she was joking and apologised, before asking the children not to tell anyone.

News of the remark spread quickly on school chat groups, however, and parents complained to the head teacher, with some apparently threatening to withdraw their children if the teacher was not sacked.

The board of governors held an emergency meeting and the teacher was dismissed the following day, as she was an agency worker and therefore had no permanent employment contract with the school.

Campaign Against Antisemitism commends Newberries Primary School for its swift and unequivocal response to this incident. We also encourage anyone to disclose the teacher’s name in order that a complaint can be made to relevant regulatory bodies.