Amrik Nijran

Introduction

Amrik Nijran was a science teacher at Nottingham Academy whose personal Twitter account carried posts referring to Muslims as “thugs”, an image captioned “behind every goat there’s a Muslim”, pictures of violence and hangings, and sexist remarks. Pupils found the account in November 2020 and showed a colleague; Nijran denied writing the posts, blaming a family member who set up the account, but the panel found the allegation proved in full. He did not attend his Teaching Regulation Agency hearing, and in November 2023 he was prohibited from teaching indefinitely, with the option to apply for review after two years.

Background Information

Nijran was born in April 1954 and taught science at Nottingham Academy. On 17 November 2020 pupils showed a colleague a Twitter post they said came from Nijran’s account; the content was serious enough that the colleague summoned the safeguarding team, telling them he wondered whether the account had been hacked because he did not believe Nijran capable of posting such material. A trust investigation followed. Interviewed on 11 December 2020, Nijran confirmed the account was his, said a family member had set it up because he did not understand the platforms, and denied making the posts — while screenshots were put to him one by one.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Found proved: discriminatory and unprofessional posts. The panel found that Nijran published on his personal Twitter account material referring to Muslims as “thugs”, an image of bestiality captioned “behind every goat there’s a Muslim”, posts and shares of violence and hangings, sexist comments, and negative posts about Muslims and other countries — and that in doing so he brought the profession into disrepute.

Among the posts captured in the investigation were “Just see what Islamists are up to in London on Diwali”, praise for being “brave in standing front of these thugs”, and a caption on a bestiality image reading “Young Muslim male losing his virginity with his first girlfriend. Behind every screaming goat is a Muslim with his pants down”. Nijran denied authorship, pointing to the family member who created the account; the panel was satisfied the account was his, that he used it, and that the posts were his, finding the allegation “proved in full”. It concluded the conduct breached the Teachers’ Standards, including showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others, and constituted conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel highlighted the aggravating context: a teacher serving a diverse school community while broadcasting racist and Islamophobic material under his own name. It found the extreme nature of the discriminatory content “required a robust regulatory response” and noted Nijran’s lack of insight throughout — he maintained the posts were not his and expressed no recognition of the harm such material does to pupils and colleagues who share the targeted identities. The panel recommended prohibition with a two-year review period, reflecting both the seriousness of the material and the absence of any admission. He did not attend the hearing; representatives confirmed he would not attend for health reasons.

Current Status

Decision maker Marc Cavey, acting for the Secretary of State on 20 November 2023, prohibited Nijran from teaching indefinitely — barring him from any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. He may apply for the order to be set aside after two years, from 27 November 2025 at the earliest; an application does not guarantee removal. The decision maker recorded that a two-year review period “reflects the seriousness of the findings and is a proportionate period to achieve the aim of maintaining public confidence in the profession”, and gave weight to Nijran’s lack of insight and the absence of evidence of remorse.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Nijran’s teaching career ended with a pupils’ discovery of his Twitter account in November 2020 and formally with the November 2023 prohibition order. The case sits with the regulator’s line that online conduct is professional conduct: material a teacher posts under their own name — racist, Islamophobic, sexist — is judged by its effect on the profession’s public trust regardless of where it is published. His denials failed against his own confirmed account, and any return to teaching depends on a future review panel finding he can be trusted in a diverse classroom.

Sources

• Department for Education, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Amrik Nijran” — source