A 23-year-old north shore childcare student has been awarded a $237,000 defamation payout from his former employer for an email sent to 35 people.

TAFE student Matthew Bowden started working at Chatswood's Hubba Bubba Childcare on Haig in July 2015, which he described as “an amazing opportunity … a dream come true.”

Mr Bowden has won a $237,000 settlement from the childcare centre after an email falsely claimed he had been fired for disciplinary reasons. Credit:Glenn Hunt

But in March 2016, he quit when his rostered shifts became incompatible with his studies, the NSW District Court heard.

The centre's director Karen Chapman then emailed 35 of the centre's parents saying he was fired because of "disciplinary reasons" and lying.