A primary school teacher has been banned for life from the profession after he told pupils "all Mexicans were criminals", a tribunal heard.

Philip Turner, 52, was found to have made a series of inappropriate remarks during lessons at Mary Elton Primary School in Clevedon, Somerset.

The disciplinary tribunal heard Turner told children that people of an ethnic minority should "leave the country" if they are unhappy with domestic policies, while he also posted anti-Islamic comments on Facebook.

In another classroom incident, Turner said "all Mexicans were criminals or bad", a Teaching Regulation Agency panel was told.

Turner was given a life ban after he was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct at the hearing in Coventry.

The panel said there was a "risk of such extreme views being presented to impressionable pupil"' and there was evidence of his "unacceptable views had been presented to pupils in the classroom setting".

Mr Turner took up his post at the school in 2010 as a newly qualified teacher.

However, posts, some shared and others his own comments, appeared on his Facebook page and were reported by parents in September 2018.

They included references to British girls being "raped by men who have no right to be in this country…" Another one referred to Islam as a "vile vile vile religion" and a third to Islam being "the cancer of the world."

Turner was dismissed from the school following a disciplinary hearing last year.

He had appealed against that but his appeal was turned down.

He has now been struck off for life following the TRA ruling. The panel took the view that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Turner "was responsible for posting all the material and/or failing to remove material which demonstrated a lack of tolerance and/or respect for persons of other faiths or nationalities."

Panel chairman John Armstrong said: "Turner failed to show any insight whatsoever into his actions or the impact that his views could have on pupils. He showed no remorse throughout the process."