The teacher who banned 'banter' has now quit his job

The teacher who banned the word 'banter' from his classroom has now left his job after a "mutual agreement" with the school.

Mike Stuchbery, a teacher in Great Yarmouth, said he received abusive emails, phone calls and the school's staff room after his story was picked up by the national press.

He had initially written a blog post about three weeks ago saying he wanted to ban the word because it was used as an excuse for bullying.

While Stuchbery says in a blog post this week that it was well received by his students, with most agreeing with the sentiment, the teachers at the school and those on social media and in comment sections were less that understanding.

I was astonished at the strength of emotion in the comments of those that opposed my decision – I was humourless, a Leftist, a proponent of the Nanny State, a psychopath, I should not be allowed in a classroom with children.

I soldiered on anyway and was surprised to find that the staffroom, full of people that would have otherwise greeted me, was eerily quiet. It was like I wasn’t there at all.

I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I could have brought down Ofsted on the school (they’d been there the previous week) and that the kids might think I thought they were poorly behaved – that might be why I was getting the reception I was getting.

• Mike Stuchbery

After talking to his teaching agency and having a meeting with the school, Stuchbery says "it was mutually agreed that I’d probably benefit from a new beginning somewhere else".

The teacher, originally from Australia, signs off his blog post highlighting the things he has learnt from the experience but also says he finds himself in a position where he is looking for a new job just a month before Christmas.

I find myself wondering sometimes whether that job should even be in the classroom.

• Mike Stuchbery

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