Want to promote harmony, religious tolerance and inclusiveness in school? Not if you’re Jewish, thanks.

Teachers who are NEU members at a school in Bristol joined with a local Palestine Solidarity Campaign group to prevent a Jewish Labour MP – Damian Egan - from visiting a school in his own constituency by staging a demonstration. Some teachers planned to wear Palestinian keffiyehs if Mr Egan attended and claimed his banning was “a victory for safeguarding”.  

We can’t explore the Israel-Palestine debate here – it’s far too complex - but we can explore whether this incident is coherent with, or opposed to, promoting fundamental British values – which are stated in the Teachers’ Standards as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs.

Is preventing an MP from visiting a school in his own constituency promoting the pupils’ understanding of democracy? I leave you to judge.

Does a teacher’s individual liberty to politically demonstrate trump the right of pupils to hear their local MP speak?

Does the incident undermine the school’s role in demonstrating mutual respect?

Is this an example of a school exhibiting tolerance for people with a different faith or belief?

Mr Egan’s visit would have been in school time presumably, so it seems inconceivable that school senior management would have allowed teachers to demonstrate on a political issue during the school day, let alone wear Palestinian keffiyehs as a part of professional school dress code.

Ofsted have investigated the incident but found that the school “has a deep understanding of fundamental British values” and has “harmonious and religiously tolerant and inclusive attitudes.”

Not if you’re a Jewish MP.

Had Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP of Palestinian descent, been prevented by teachers and activists from attending a school in her constituency after the events of October 7th, I would have been outraged.

But of course, she wasn’t.

And that’s how I know this is an outrageous dereliction of professional ethics and standards by teachers and by the senior management of the school.

Alan Newland delivers sessions to ITT trainees and teachers on how to teach and promote fundamental British values in schools, especially when difficult dilemmas arise. If you are struggling with challenging issues in school, contact him at info@newteacherstalk.com

His book: “Becoming a Teacher – the legal, ethical and moral implications of entering society’s most fundamental profession” is published by Crown House and available with a 20% discount with the code “becoming20”