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Ofsted is conducting an inspection at a school following concerns that it may have been pressured into cancelling a visit from a Jewish Member of Parliament.
Bristol Brunel Academy stated that the postponement of Damien Egan’s visit in September was due to safeguarding issues related to a planned pro-Palestine demonstration on the same day.
Sir Martyn Oliver, Chief Inspector of Ofsted, expressed concern regarding “the message this sent to children – especially children from the Jewish Community” and affirmed that the threshold for an inspection had been met.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson condemned the situation as “completely unacceptable,” asserting that “No MP should ever be barred from doing their job because of their faith or background.”
The Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), which oversees the school, previously informed the BBC that the decision to delay Egan’s visit was made after consulting with police regarding the planned Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign protest.
A school spokesperson conveyed that: “We take our responsibilities to educate young people about British values extremely seriously, which is why we invited Mr Egan to speak to our students in the first place.”
The school stated that the visit by Egan – who represents Bristol North East and is a member of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group – had been rescheduled by the time news outlets reported the postponement.
Discussing the decision to inspect the school, Sir Martyn stated: “I was concerned to learn that a school may have been intimidated into cancelling a visit from their local MP.”
“Those of us privileged enough to be working in education have a professional and moral duty to stand against discrimination,” he added.
He confirmed that Ofsted inspectors visited the school on Thursday.
Phillipson welcomed the inspection and indicated that she had not ruled out further action against the school pending Ofsted’s findings.
“What happened to my colleague Damien Egan is shocking and completely unacceptable,” she stated.
“Be in no doubt, no MP should ever be barred from doing their job because of their faith or background.”
“Our schools must be places of safety and inclusion – not exclusion.”
The CLF is also investigating allegations that its inclusion and diversity co-ordinator, Saima Akhtar, shared discriminatory comments on social media.
“The promotion of inclusion and rejection of discrimination are enshrined in the CLF’s core values, and all staff are expected to embody these values in their behaviour – both inside and outside of school,” a CLF spokesperson added.
CLF stated that staff members who violated its code of conduct should expect disciplinary action, potentially leading to dismissal. It also confirmed the commissioning of an external review of its staff training.
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