Teaching assistant claimed she was victim of racism after colleague said 'there is a brown cow' in phonics lesson
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A teaching assistant tried to sue for race discrimination after her colleague said 'there is a brown cow' during a phonics lesson. Kamaljit Kaur claimed she was the victim of racism when the teacher repeated the phrase twice while teaching young children how to read and write.
![[The class teacher used the phrase 'there is a brown cow' during a phonics lessons with young pupils - but teaching assistant Ms Kaur claimed the comment was directed at her as a 'woman of colour' (stock image, posed by models)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/12/93313617-14209935-image-a-2_1734612061728.jpg)
In phonics, 'Brown cow' is used as a way to show children how to make the 'ow' sound. But as a 'person of colour', Mrs Kaur claimed it was directed at her, an employment tribunal heard. The teaching assistant also took offence when the word 'brown' was used at school when it was written under a picture of a woman to identify a 'brown bag'.
After she was sacked, the teaching assistant launched legal action against the school by pursuing claims of race discrimination at an employment tribunal. The two claims were part of a 'long diary' of 'extraordinary and unlikely' incidents that Mrs Kaur alleged amounted to race discrimination.
But, following a preliminary hearing her case her case has been thrown out before it even got to a full tribunal. Kamaljit Kaur claimed she was the victim of racism when the teacher repeated the phrase twice while teaching young children how to read and write (stock image, posed by models).
The tribunal in Leeds was told Mrs Kaur worked for The Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools in the Yorkshire area. Having started working at the school in 2019, Mrs Kaur was 'not the only person of colour amongst the staff' as it was 'diverse', the tribunal heard.
