Teachers will not be barred from joining organisations such as the BNP, according to an independent inquiry.

Teachers will not be barred from joining organisations such as the British National Party (BNP), according to an independent inquiry into racism and teaching, as it would be “a disproportionate response, taking a very large sledgehammer to crack a minuscule nut.”

The government called for an independent inquiry into how to prevent the promotion of racism by teachers, following the disclosure of a number of teachers belonging to the BNP and other racist organisations.

The report found that in the last seven years, only four teachers and two governors have been publicly identified as members of racist organisations. In addition, disciplinary action by the General Teaching Council for England has only been taken regarding just nine incidents of racism involving teachers, leading the inquiry to believe a ban from such organisations would be disproportionate.

The inquiry was led by Maurice Smith, who formally held the role of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools (HMCI) and is now an independent advisor. He said: “I do not believe that barring teachers or other members of the wider school workforce from membership of legitimate organisations which may promote racism is necessary at present, although it should be kept under active review.

“To bar teachers, or other members of the school workforce, from joining non-proscribed organisations would be a profound political act. Teachers across the country, day in and day out, actively promote equality and educate the country’s pupils to resist discrimination in all its forms supported by overt guidance in the National Curriculum. They should be praised for doing so, and trusted to continue to do so.”

The inquiry concluded that although there should be “active” annual reviews of the issue, it found that the measures currently in place to protect pupils from racist teachers were “sufficient”. It did, however, call for an additional review of the teaching within independent schools to investigate whether those pupils were as protected from racism.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) agreed that an outright ban was “not a practical solution.” Dr John Dunford, ASCL General Secretary, said: “Of course people with racist views should not be working with young people in schools. However, it is much less clear that there should be a blanket regulation on the issue.

“It is right that teachers and others should be forbidden to promote in schools any contentious position: political, religious, or discriminatory. However, there is a need for open discussion of difficult topics. The aim should be genuinely to challenge young people to think for themselves and to form their own opinions rather than to promote a particular ideology.”

In contrast, teachers’ union NASUWT, has criticised the report, calling it “woefully inadequate and littered with contradictions.”

In addition, public sector trade union Unison, called the inquiry a “missed opportunity.” Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “This review is a missed opportunity to kick the BNP’s politics of hate out of our schools. Membership of the BNP is completely incompatible with delivering education to children. Schools should be at the forefront of promoting racial equality, not places where BNP members can spread their message of hate to impressionable young people.”

Members of the police force and prison service are all banned from joining organisations that may promote racism. Smith commented on this fact: “Although police and prison officers are banned, to ban more than half a million teachers – or six million public servants – from joining a legitimate organisation would take this to a different scale of magnitude. Additionally, there is no consensus on this matter, and no agreement on where to ‘draw the line’.”

The government has accepted the terms and recommendations of the inquiry in full. To read the complete report, visit: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/mauricesmithreview
What do you think? Can teachers prevent their personal opinions from being reflected in their teaching? Should the teaching profession be taking a tougher stance on teachers’ involvement in potentially racist organisations? Or has the report produced a much-needed win for common sense within society? Leave your views below.