Margaret Gretton has been banned from classrooms for labelling an Asian job applicant 'Taliban' and calling special needs pupils 'roadkill' A primary school headteacher has been banned from classrooms for labelling an Asian job applicant 'Taliban' after referring to special needs pupils as 'roadkill'. Margaret Gretton, 46, has been barred indefinitely from the profession after she referred to the applicant as a member of the terror group and talked of 'bombs and blowing up the school' in an Asian accent. A disciplinary panel of the National College for Teaching and Leadership in Coventry ruled Ms Gretton 'exhibited clear intolerance on the grounds of race, as well as disability'. The panel said she showed no remorse for 'deliberate' and 'repeated' actions while head of Burton Joyce Primary School in Nottingham. They heard that she had mocked special needs students by referring to them as 'cuckoo' and said she didn't want to encourage children 'like that' to come to the school. She even displayed a Golly magnet in her office and made 'monkey noises' on one occasion when talking about black people. Her shocking behaviour continued over a 'sustained period of time' while she was headteacher of the school from September 2007 until November 2013. The panel concluded Ms Gretton 'displayed racist attitudes and behaviour in that - on one or more occasions you inappropriately commented in relation to a photograph of a male Asian job applicant.' It said her comments included 'would you hire me…I'm in the Taliban', or words to that effect, referring to the man as 'Mohammed', or words to that effect, and referring to 'bombs and blowing up the school', or words to that effect, in an Asian accent. A teacher at the school, named only as Staff Member E, told the panel that Ms Gretton said to her, unprompted: 'Do you like black men?' The teacher said she was 'taken aback' by the question, but added that it did not bother her, and her mother's partner was black and from Jamaica. She told the panel that Ms Gretton then 'burst out laughing and said words to the effect of 'does he have big lips?...does he look like a monkey?' and then went on to make monkey noises.' The headteacher denied making the comments, but the panel said it was 'satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the comments, or words similar to them, were made by Ms Gretton. ' The panel also found that she 'expressed inappropriate and discriminatory attitudes towards SEN [Special Educational Needs] pupils in the presence of school staff.' The panel said 'exhibited clear intolerance on the grounds of race, as well as disability' while head of Burton Joyce Primary School in Nottingham (pictured) They said she had used the word 'cuckoo' or words to that affect and said 'we don't want to encourage children like that to come here.' She was also found to have 'deliberately tried to upset' a special needs pupil, 'frightened him', and 'tried to make him cry.' Witness G gave evidence to the panel that on one occasion in 2010 a pupil would not come out from underneath a table and was disrupting the lesson so, as a teaching assistant, she asked Ms Gretton for assistance. She told the panel that 'Ms Gretton said 'It's like something from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' and said 'cuckoo, cuckoo' whilst twirling her finger at the side of her head.' A Special Education Needs co-ordinator, who also gave evidence to the panel, said that during a discussion in 2010 about creating a disabled parking space at the school car park she mentioned that Ms Gretton's parking space was the obvious place to put it. However she said that Ms Gretton said: 'We don't want to encourage people like that here.' Ms Gretton was also found to have bullied members of staff which the panel described as 'wholly unacceptable.' It concluded: 'The panel considered that Ms Gretton was not acting under duress, she lacked any insight into her behaviour and demonstrated no remorse. Her shocking behaviour continued over a 'sustained period of time' while she was headteacher of the school (pictured)  from September 2007 until November 2013 . 'Her actions towards staff and pupils were deliberate, repeated and over a sustained period of time. Ms Gretton seriously abused her position of power and trust within the school. ' After the panel made its recommendations Paul Heathcote, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, decided to prohibit Ms Gretton from teaching indefinitely. He said: 'This is a case where the teacher has exhibited clear intolerance on the grounds of race, as well as disability.' He added: 'There has been no effort made by Ms Gretton to remedy the attitudinal deficiencies which have led her to behave in the way in which she did.' Describing his decision to prohibit the woman from teaching he said: ' This means that Ms Margaret Leandra Gretton is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England. 'Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against her, I have decided that Ms Margaret Leandra Gretton shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of her eligibility to teach.' Ms Gretton has right of appeal to the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, until 28 days after she was given notice of the order.
Margaret Gretton, 46, has been barred indefinitely from the profession .
She was headteacher of Burton Joyce Primary School in Nottingham .
She talked of 'bombs and blowing up the school' in an Asian accent .
Disciplinary panel concluded she 'exhibited clear intolerance on the grounds of race, as well as disability'