Supply teacher banned indefinitely over racist remarks and pupil contact

Anton Van Der Watt, a 66-year-old supply teacher, has been banned from teaching indefinitely after a panel found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct at Brine Leas School in Nantwich. The case matters because the panel said he used discriminatory and threatening language and failed to maintain professional boundaries with pupils.

On 24 April 2025, pupils raised concerns after three lessons, and the school sent him home. Their accounts described racist remarks to Chinese and African pupils, threats of violence and physical contact, including pinching a pupil’s neck; Van Der Watt acknowledged that an incident involving the pupil’s neck took place. He had worked through the supply agency Simply Education since 2019, and a police report led to no further action.