Cheat claim teacher in £70k award

A teacher who was sacked from an Islamic school after claiming its pupils cheated in English GCSE exams has won his case for unfair dismissal.

Colin Cook, 58, also alleged the Saudi-funded King Fahad Academy in Acton, west London, preached racial hatred to students.

An employment tribunal ruled he had been wrongly dismissed for revealing cheating and awarded him £69,300.

However, his claim of racial discrimination was thrown out.

The tribunal ruled Mr Cook, of Feltham, south London, was not sacked on the basis of his British nationality.

Mr Cook claimed the school began investigating him after he blew the whistle on pupils taking notes into English exams.

The tribunal judgment read: "The principal reason for the claimant's dismissal was that he had made protected public interest disclosures to his employer and to Edexcel, an examination body."

The teacher, who had worked at the school for 18 years until his sacking in December 2006, later claimed pupils were taught from textbooks which encouraged racism.

"The textbooks asked the children to name the repugnant characteristics of Jews"
Colin Cook

He told the tribunal: "Subsequent to my dismissal I discovered that race hatred was being taught in textbooks in the school.

"My source told me that they were teaching the students that the Christians were pigs.

"The textbooks asked the children to name the repugnant characteristics of Jews."

The head teacher, Dr Sumaya Alyusuf, said she had destroyed the books and the school, which was set up by the government of Saudi Arabia, claimed they were never used in lessons.

The school was unable to comment on the final judgment which saw Mr Cook awarded £58,800 for loss of earnings and a further £10,500 for injury to his feelings.

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