A history teacher has been permanently removed from the teaching profession after making inflammatory remarks about Islam and misleading statements to students about historical figures and events.
Patrick Lawler, aged 62, was found to have spread conspiracy theories concerning Covid-19, used derogatory language toward students, and authored articles that disparaged Islam, the LGBTQ+ community, and the issue of abortion.
In a classroom setting, Lawler falsely claimed to Year 6 students that civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was a “fraud” and incorrectly stated that Rosa Parks was a fictional character.
Additionally, Lawler, who has taught in both Northumberland and Bristol, made inappropriate comments about drug purity, nostalgically claiming that cocaine was purer “back in the day.”
Following these revelations, Lawler has been permanently barred from teaching, as a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct panel concluded that his actions constituted gross misconduct and undermined public trust in the teaching profession.
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct panel ruled that Lawler’s behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct and posed a serious risk to public confidence in teachers.
Lawler had previously featured in a BBC Wales undercover documentary, Unmasked: Extreme Far Right, which investigated the activities of white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative (PA).
In footage filmed in 2024, Lawler told an undercover reporter that a race war was ‘absolutely inevitable’.
Patrick Lawler, 62, promoted conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and humiliated pupils with abusive language, while publishing articles attacking Islam, gay people, and abortion
He claimed that ‘all foreigners’ had no right to be in the UK and said that if they refused to leave, ‘the only way to get rid of them will be to kill every single one of them’.
The disciplinary panel, which investigated allegations pre-dating the BBC investigation, found that Lawler had authored or co-authored a series of newsletters describing Islam as ‘demonic’ and ‘satanically-inspired’.
The same writings, called The Flock, described sex between two men as an ‘unnatural, unhealthy, disgusting perversion’ and described abortion as ‘a great wickedness’.
He also wrote how a ‘large’ number of Catholic priests are ‘predatory homosexual child-molesters’ and ‘practising sodomites’.
The panel, sitting in Coventry, West Midlands, also upheld a string of allegations relating to Lawler’s conduct towards pupils.
While teaching at Bede Academy in Northumberland in 2019, he was meant to deliver a lesson on medieval history but instead launched into political commentary.
He told Year 6 pupils that Rosa Parks had not refused to give up her seat on a bus and that Martin Luther King was an academic fraud.
The panel said the comments were inappropriate and unprofessional, particularly given the age of the children, who were unable to challenge ‘minority views which are presented in an unbalanced fashion’.
During a discussion about Black Lives Matter in 2020, he told pupils that BLM stands for ‘Burn, Loot, Murder’.
In December of the same year, Lawler was also found to have started talking about drugs during a lesson, telling pupils how ‘back in the day, you used to be able to get cocaine, purer’.
A pupil said the comment was made entirely unprompted and had no relevance to the lesson.
Lawler told GCSE pupils he was surprised they were not ‘hanging from lampposts’ after poor mock exam results, and swore in front of pupils, saying: ‘Do you want some other bastard to teach you?’
He also claimed there was no scientific evidence of Covid-19 and told students they could eat as much salt ‘as you like without getting poisoned’.
Lawler did not attend the hearing and was not represented.
While teaching at Bede Academy in Northumberland in 2019, he was meant to deliver a lesson on medieval history but instead launched into political commentary
The hearing was told he repeatedly ignored formal warnings and advice from school leaders dating back to 2019, which explicitly told him to stop sharing personal views and controversial opinions with pupils.
Despite this, he continued the same behaviour – including while working as a supply teacher in Bristol in 2022.
Panel chair Louisa Munton said: ‘The public expects teachers to guide pupils through curriculum topics with balance, impartiality and in an age-appropriate manner to critically analyse concepts.
‘The public does not expect teachers to divert from curriculum topics and take up the position of an activist, lobbyist, or advocate for any particular cause they may personally agree with.
‘The trust placed in teachers to approach teaching in such a fashion would be significantly eroded if such conduct went unchecked.’
Lawler cannot reapply to the profession for four years and has 28 days to appeal.
Signing off the ban, civil servant Marc Cavey said: ‘In my judgement, the lack of evidence that Mr Lawler has developed full insight into his behaviour means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future well-being of pupils.’
