While the government’s strategy on Covid might be as clear as mud, on the problem of a partisan school sector, it has recently struck a remarkably forthright position.
Yesterday, the Minster for Equalities Kemi Badenoch said:
‘We do not want teachers to teach their white pupils about white privilege and inherited racial guilt. Let me be clear that any school that teaches those elements of critical race theory as fact, or that promotes partisan political views such as defunding the police without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law.’
Saying this shouldn’t be controversial. It’s long been a legal requirement for schools to be non-partisan and to cover political issues in a balanced fashion. Just as schools and teachers must abide by health and safety legislation or the Equality Act, so they should follow the law on political impartiality.
The taxpayer thinks this too. In polling carried out for my campaign group, the Campaign for Common Sense, 83 per cent of people agreed that ‘schools and teachers should be neutral when teaching children about political issues.’ Only 20 per cent agreed that ‘schools should encourage pupils to get involved with campaigns like Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter.’ Importantly, there was consistent overwhelming support for impartiality across all ages, regions, socio-economic status, or voting habits.
Regardless of the legalities and public opinion, a simple fact remains: every family should feel that they and their child are welcome at the school they choose. This isn’t possible if institutions adopt controversial ideologies or endorse partisan organisations.
Given all the above, why did Kemi Badenoch feel the need to say what she did?
Well, contrary to what some might claim, it’s not about clamping down on debate in schools. Far from it: teaching young people about controversial issues is a vital part of any education. Life is not black and white, and no one is suggesting that teachers should pretend otherwise.
The problem is that in recent times growing numbers of schools and teachers seem to have forgotten about the need to be impartial, or don’t consider that views they hold are political and contested. Controversial ideas as presented as a given, and pupils are discouraged from challenging them too.
For example, concepts like ‘systemic racism’ and ‘white privilege’ are interesting ways of analysing society, but they are absolutely not provable facts. They’re also challenged by people from all walks of life and political leanings. Teaching pupils they are set in stone, or basing school policies on them is immoral and definitely illegal.
Similarly, while groups like Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion have massive profiles and support amongst the media, they are explicitly partisan organisations with biased policies. If schools cover them with pupils they should not do so uncritically and ensure that credible opposing alternative organisations and ideas are covered at the same time.
The thing is, this is exactly how brilliant teachers address other sensitive topics every single day, whether it’s RE teachers looking at euthanasia, History teachers studying miners’ strikes, or school assemblies in aid of food banks. It’s just that some teachers have decided that certain issues aren’t political or can be taught in ways in defiance of the law.
The reaction by many on social media and elsewhere to Kemi Badenoch’s statement and the Department for Education’s recent guidance on this topic, proves there is much work to do to bring some schools and teachers back in line with the law
Kids deserve a balanced education. It’s wrong that niche authoritarian views can be imposed on them at school, under the guise of compassion or ‘anti-racism’. And it’s great that we finally have a government that is openly challenging divisive ideas. The key now is to follow through and ensure enforcement of the law, and not leave it at words in Hansard or unread Department for Education guidance. Hey teacher, leave those kids alone!
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