Pupils at a Christian school have been branded bigots after a young boy gave the wrong answer when asked what a Muslim was.
Durham Free has been told to close
after inspectors branded it an educational failure and said some children
displayed ‘discriminatory views’ toward people of other faiths. The boy’s
answer to the Muslim question apparently included a reference to terrorism.
But teachers said the verdict was
grossly unfair and based on a throwaway and ignorant comment made by a single
pupil. They said the school’s Christian ethos made it an easy target for
officials who wanted to show they were promoting the Government’s diversity
agenda.
A second Christian school in the area has been put into special measures. Inspectors also concluded its children were intolerant after allegedly asking ten-year-old pupils what lesbians ‘did’.
Teachers at Grindon Hall Christian
School in Sunderland said the critical Ofsted report came as a shock because it
was performing well.
There are claims that some schools –
mainly those with a religious ethos or in areas with few ethnic minority pupils
– have been put under undue pressure by a requirement to promote British values
such as tolerance, fairness, respect for other faiths and the rule of law and
democracy.
These two cases highlight important issues about how Ofsted are interpreting the guidance they have been given.’
Simon Calvert of the Christian
Institute said: ‘The Government’s British values regime is twisting Ofsted’s
priorities out of all proportion. Inspectors are asking all kinds of invasive
questions and then issuing reports that the parents whose children attend the
school don’t recognise.’
Durham Free School, which has 94 pupils
aged 11 to 13, was praised by then education secretary Michael Gove after it
opened in September 2013. But when it was inspected in November, Ofsted failed
it on a wide range of factors including poor teaching, attainment and
behaviour. ‘Standards are low and progress is inadequate,’ inspectors said.
‘Students’ achievement is weak.’
Further reading:
“A
Christian free school in County Durham has been ordered to close down, after a
watchdog said it found bad behaviour, prejudice towards non-Christians,
bullying, and the recruitment of staff for their faith rather than their
ability.
Durham Free School opened in
September 2013. Free schools receive their funding directly from central
government, rather than their Local Authority. As such, they are not under
Local Authority control. Free schools are governed by charities or other
non-profit groups.
The Education Funding Agency,
which allocates money for schools, also said it has "serious concerns
about financial management, control and governance" at Durham Free School.”
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