Swimming teacher who told 10-year-old girl ‘looks like you’re working out’ in front of shocked schoolchildren is fired
- Gary Coleman made the comment to the child while wearing a bathing suit
- Concerned teachers reported the “obvious safety concern” to his bosses
- The tutor in Doncaster took his employers to court for unfair dismissal
A swimming teacher was fired after telling a 10-year-old girl in a bathing suit that she “looked like she was working out.”
Recreation center teacher Gary Coleman was teaching a class of elementary school children when he commented on a girl’s physical appearance in front of other children and in front of her school teacher.
Coleman was reported by the girls’ school to his employers at Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust who said his comments had made both the girl and her teacher ‘uncomfortable’.
An employment tribunal heard Coleman admit to making the comment, for which he was promptly fired by bosses who said he caused “upset and potential harm” to the youngster.
But the disgraced swimming coach tried to sue his former employer for unfair and wrongful dismissal – a claim that has since been rejected by an employment tribunal, which ruled it was right to fire him.
Gary Coleman was teaching a group of schoolchildren when he made the ‘awkward’ and ‘deeply inappropriate’ comment (stock image)
Mr Coleman worked for the Trust – which manages several leisure centers in Doncaster, South Yorks from May 2015 until his resignation.
The court heard that he was giving swimming lessons to a group of primary school children on September 30, 2022 and during the lesson he told one of the girls ‘it looks like you are working out’.
The same day, the girls’ school contacted the company to complain. On behalf of the girl’s parents, the school also asked if Mr. Coleman would lead the next class.
The following day, Mr. Coleman was suspended on full pay while the company investigated the incident.
He and a female colleague who was present at the time were interviewed and a disciplinary hearing was held on October 11.
The panel was told that he was told at this hearing that his actions were a “clear concern for protection” and had caused “upset and potential harm to the child.”
After this meeting he was fired. He then sued for wrongful and unfair dismissal.
Judge Daniel Sills ruled against his claims, saying: “I am satisfied that the (company) honestly believed that (Mr. Coleman) was guilty of wrongdoing and that the belief was based on reasonable grounds.
That’s because (Mr. Coleman) accepts that he made the comment and accepts that the comment was inappropriate. I am satisfied that the (company) has conducted a reasonable investigation as there is no disagreement as to the facts.
“The (company’s) case is that (Mr. Coleman’s) conduct raised security concerns and amounted to gross misconduct. (Mr. Coleman) argues that the (company) had no right to regard (his) conduct as an indemnification issue and had no right to fire (him).
“In some ways, the decision to fire (him) can be considered a bit harsh. This was discharge for a first offense. It was a single comment that was made.
Coleman acknowledged making the comment and now acknowledges to his credit that the comment was inappropriate.
‘The teachers who give those lessons have a position of trust. Undesirable behavior of swimming instructors employed by the (company) can lead to reputational damage.
I come to the comment itself. It is a comment made by an adult male in a position of trust to a female child aged 10 or 11 about that child’s body and appearance when the child was in swimwear and in the presence of other people.
The comment shows that he had been observing her physical appearance. In that context, however intended, the comment is highly inappropriate.’
The ruling comes days after an Ofsted inspector was told he must be awarded compensation after he was sacked for brushing water off a student’s forehead on a rainy day.