The scenes depicted by yesterday’s Channel 4 Dispatches programme “Lessons in Hate and Violence” ‘are of great concern in this period of greater autonomy and reduced scrutiny of schools’ in both the public and independent sectors, according to the British Humanist Association (BHA).
The documentary portrayed scenes taken by a hidden camera in an independent Islamic secondary school in Birmingham. The documentary showed teachers present whilst a preacher made a variety of offensive remarks about non-Muslims. The school had been inspected by a Government approved inspectorate and commended for promoting tolerance of other beliefs.
Education Campaigns Officer Jenny Pennington commented: ‘It is very worrying that a school that has been given a clean bill of health in this area from inspectors can teach young children abhorrent, intolerant views about people of other religions and non-religious beliefs. The evidence presented by the documentary is especially concerning at a time when the Government is moving to give state funded schools much greater autonomy over their curriculum whilst actually proposing to reduce the scope of Ofsted inspections.
‘We remain concerned that, without proper safeguards and effective scrutiny, new state-funded ‘free schools’ may be established and run by groups that have anti-social and even extreme views and agendas. The Government must come forward with effective policies to ensure that providers that will teach intolerance, including of people of other beliefs and cultures, women and of sexual minorities are not permitted to run state-funded schools.’