A Church of England primary school teacher has been sacked over allegations of racism after calling pupils in her class “chattering monkeys”, a court has heard.

Complaints were made about Charlotte Moore, a Year 6 teacher at Trinity St Mary’s school in Chelmsford, Essex, after she used the comment to calm her ‘diverse’ class. Angry parents called it a ‘deeply racist remark’.

However, within days, police closed their investigation, as ‘they were satisfied that she had used the phrase “chattering monkeys” to the entire class and that this had been taken out of context and would not be considered a racial slur or hate crime’.

There were also allegations that the “very strict” teacher grabbed one student by the neck and shook another, and “jokingly” threatened to shoot one of the students if they continued to disrupt the order.

The students were questioned and reported that Mrs. Moore called us “a bunch of monkeys” and made them “scared and anxious.”

Complaints have been made against Charlotte Moore, a Year 6 teacher at Trinity St Mary’s (pictured) school in Chelmsford, Essex

Fourteen of the 30 children in her class were interviewed and several of them again raised concerns, the court heard.

In an interview, Ms Moore denied all allegations and admitted to using the following words: “You are just a bunch of chattering monkeys, be quiet and get on with your work.”

She denied using physical violence or making threats, saying she often made “overly dramatic comments” to children in a “joking manner.”

She was dismissed for serious misconduct. The school found the use of the word ‘monkey’ inappropriate because it could be insulting.

Employment Judge Suzanne Palmer dismissed Ms Moore’s complaint of unfair dismissal.

“(Interviews) raised concerns about the fear children may have of Ms Moore and the way she expressed herself in the staffroom,” Judge Palmer said.

‘These were concerns that the (school) felt obliged to investigate because of its responsibility for the well-being of the children entrusted to its care.

“I believe the school was reasonably entitled to take that position.”

Regarding the monkeys’ comment, the judge said: ‘The school’s conclusion in this matter was in fact that the matter was serious because of the racial diversity in the classroom and ‘the perception of the pupils and parents was that the statement was racist’.

‘However, I do not believe that a reasonable employer could have reached a conclusion about the seriousness of this incident without asking themselves the question.

the question of motivation, in other words whether it was simply a clumsy and poorly chosen means of expression that could be offensive.

‘If that were the case, it is difficult to see how any reasonable employer could conclude on its own that this incident was sufficient to indicate serious misconduct warranting summary dismissal, which (the school) also claimed was the way it was viewed.

(School principal Maureen) Ponton apparently admitted this under cross-examination. She said she recognized that the incident itself was not serious enough to warrant dismissal for gross misconduct.

“But as Ms Ponton further noted, this incident was not the only incident and this is perhaps to some extent an academic point.”