Ofsted have begun a special inspection of one specific school – Kings’ School in the West of England. This move follows fears that the faith school had been forced to call off a visit from local Jewish MP Egan. Thursday’s inspection was led by chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver. He then shared the cancellation’s unforgivable impact — most notably on students within the Jewish community.
Sir Martyn Oliver expressed his dismay, stating he was “troubled by the message this sent to children – especially children from the Jewish Community.” He iterated the necessity of including a diversity of ideas and perspectives and, of course, the repudiation of discriminatory actions within our educational spaces. The decision to conduct an inspection of this school sends a powerful message that upholds Ofsted’s broader purpose of ensuring the welfare and safeguarding rights of all students.
The school in Bristol that first invited Egan to address its students. As member of parliament for Bristol North East, Egan was a member of the Labour Friends of Israel parliamentary group. Then, reports began to emerge that the visit had been cancelled. When the announcement of the postponement hit the wires, it was obvious that the visit had been moved already.
A spokesperson for the school addressed the situation, stating, “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.”… Everything was meticulously arranged to ensure that Ofsted inspectors were on-location to do their review.
DVSA chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver said the reasons leading to the cancellation clearly warranted an inspection. We’re glad to see him moving to address this shortcoming. He remarked, “I was concerned to learn that a school may have been intimidated into cancelling a visit from their local MP.” His words speak to Ofsted’s wider, more political agenda of maintaining the purity of education and forcing inclusivity into the culture of schools.
In a statement regarding their values, a spokesperson from the Collaborative Learning Trust (CLF) noted, “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.”
As USDOT’s inspection of the LA port unfolds, stakeholders are waiting anxiously for its findings. The decision will likely establish key precedents around how schools resist outside pressures and defend their moral and financial obligations to remain inclusive.
