No BNP membership ban for UK teachers, review concludes
Teachers in taxpayer-funded schools should not be banned from joining British National party, review concludes
Friday, 12, Mar 2010 06:15
By Matthew Champion.
Teachers in taxpayer-funded schools should not be banned from joining the British National party, a government-sanctioned review has concluded.
The review from former chief inspector of schools Maurice Smith believes that current safeguards are sufficient and rules out an outright ban on teachers and school workers from being members of racist organisations.
Such a ban already affects workers in police forces and the prison service.
But Mr Smith said a ban would be "disproportionate", based on the fact since 2003 only four teachers and two governors have been identified as belonging to racist groups such as the BNP and there have only been nine incidents of teachers making racist remarks coming before the General Teaching Council for England.
While the government has pledged to accept the recommendations in full, the review has been savaged by unions.
Chris Keats, general secretary of NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, said the report was "woefully inadequate and littered with contradictions".
"The idea that a person who signs up to membership of the BNP can simply leave these beliefs at the school gate and behave as a 'professional' when they walk into school is risible," she said.
"A principled stand was required. This is a matter of social justice, staff well-being and child protection."
Public services union Unison's general secretary Dave Prentis described the review as a "missed opportunity to kick the BNP's politics of hate out of our schools".
"Membership of the BNP is completely incompatible with delivering education to children," Mr Prentis argued.
"Schools should be at the forefront of promoting racial equality, not places where BNP members can spread their message of hate to impressionable young people."
Mr Smith said in his report that he could not ban "six million public servants" from joining a "legitimate organisation".
"I do not believe that barring teachers or other members of the wider school workforce from membership of legitimate organisations which may promote racism is necessary at present, although it should be kept under active review," he said.
"To bar teachers, or other members of the school workforce, from joining non-proscribed organisations would be a profound political act. In my analysis, it would be a disproportionate response, taking a very large sledgehammer to crack a minuscule nut."
Giving his response to the review, children's secretary Ed Balls said: "There is no place for racism in our schools and it is vital that we have the appropriate measures in place in schools to safeguard our children and young people.
"It is reassuring to know that the current measures in place are working. The report is clear about this but it is also clear that these measures can be improved upon. That is why I am accepting the recommendations and I am taking steps to implement these immediately and keep them under active review."
The Association of School and College Learners (ASCL) also gave the review a more positive response.
"Schools have a strong, clear ethos of tolerance and understanding, and the vast majority of teachers and staff have no hidden agenda," commented ASCL general secretary secretary Dr John Dunford.
"Of course people with racist views should not be working with young people in schools. However, it is much less clear that there should be a blanket regulation on the issue. Existing protocols are already used in schools to deal with anyone whose behaviour is not acceptable, including disciplinary procedures and, if appropriate, dismissal.
"It is right that teachers and others should be forbidden to promote in schools any contentious position: political, religious, or discriminatory. However, there is a need for open discussion of difficult topics. The aim should be genuinely to challenge young people to think for themselves and to form their own opinions rather than to promote a particular ideology."