The name is permanently tied to the history of Dulwich College due to a 1981 letter she wrote protesting the appointment of a 17-year-old Nigel Farage as a school prefect . At the time, Deakin was a young English teacher at the prestigious independent school in south-east London. Her letter warned the school's leadership about Farage's alleged "racist and neo-fascist views", a document that first emerged publicly in 2013 and resurfaced with new testimony in late 2025. The Historical Context: June 1981
The letter detailed a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) camp trip in Sussex where Farage and a group of pupils reportedly marched through a quiet village late at night shouting Hitler Youth songs. chloe deakin dulwich college
The situation escalated to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). In 2016, a professional conduct panel convened to hear the case—not against the teacher Deakin had warned about, but against Deakin herself. The panel found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. However, the narrative was not yet closed. The name is permanently tied to the history
The judge ruled that the NCTL panel had been wrong to conclude that Deakin had been motivated by malice or a desire to damage her colleague's reputation. Instead, the court accepted that Deakin had acted out of a genuine concern for the welfare of the pupils. The ruling effectively vindicated Deakin, suggesting that her actions were those of a responsible teacher attempting to navigate a system that was resistant to hearing uncomfortable truths. The Historical Context: June 1981 The letter detailed
Deakin raised serious concerns regarding the behavior of a colleague, known in subsequent reports as "Teacher A," towards students. The allegations were not minor; they involved claims of inappropriate contact and a culture that blurred the professional boundaries between staff and students. Deakin, acting as a whistleblower, argued that the school’s management had failed to adequately investigate or act upon these warnings.