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A TEACHER has come under fire after scolding a pupil as "despicable" for questioning a classmate's claim she could identify as a cat.

The staff member at Rye College, in East Sussex, was secretly filmed telling a young girl she was "very sad" and should go to a different school.

A teacher has been slammed for calling a student 'despicable' as she questioned a classmate's gender
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A teacher has been slammed for calling a student 'despicable' as she questioned a classmate's genderCredit: Getty

In a nearly four-minute recording, the two can be heard going back and forth arguing.

The reaction came after the schoolgirl said there was only two genders and rejected another pupil's identification as an animal.

Fuming, the teacher said: "[You need a] proper educational conversation about equality, diversity and inclusion," before threatening to report her to senior staff.

In the clip the "woke" teacher said: "How dare you? You just really upset someone, saying things like [you] should be in an asylum."

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The girl responded: "I didn't say that, I just said if they want to identify as a cow or something, then they are genuinely unwell, and they're crazy."

The teacher, who hasn't been named, replied: "You were questioning their identity.

"Where did you get this idea from that there are only two genders?"

The pupil hit back: "I just said my opinion.

"If I can respect their opinion, can't they respect mine?"

Linking the girl's attitude to "homophobia", the staff member added: "It is not an opinion, if you don't like it, you need to go to a different school."

Rye College was hounded on social media yesterday after the video went viral.

A spokesperson for the school said: "We are committed to offering our pupils an inclusive education.

"Teachers endeavour to ensure that pupils’ views are listened to, and encourage them to ask questions and engage in discussion.

"Teachers also aim to answer questions sensitively and honestly.

"We strive to uphold the highest standards across the school.

"We will be reviewing our processes and working with the relevant individuals to ensure such events do not take place in the future." 

The school, rated Good by Ofsted, prides themselves on ensuring "that every child is happy and well supported on their educational journey".

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