School at risk of closure over Palestine threats

A SECOND school accused of Islamophobia may be forced to close its doors, The Telegraph can disclose, over its head teacher’s decision to ban children from wearing pro-palestinian badges.

Barclay Primary School in Leyton, east London, has sent a letter to parents warning that it may have to shut and “revert to online learning” if the safety of children and staff cannot be guaranteed after it received bomb threats over its uniform policy.

It comes after Katharine Birbalsingh, the head teacher of Michaela Community School in Brent, north-west London, had to close for Christmas two days early after hoax claims that bombs had been placed on its premises following a decision to impose a “prayer ban”.

Glass bottles were tossed over its railings and a brick was thrown through one teacher’s window, leaving staff “fearing for their lives”. The school, run by the Government’s former social mobility tsar, is facing a High Court challenge from a Muslim pupil.

Protests at Barclay Primary also started just before Christmas when a Tiktok video alleging that an eightyear-old pupil was being bullied by teachers for being Palestinian went viral. Those protests forced the school to shut two days early at the end of last term because of “escalating threats against staff ” caused by “malicious fabrications”. The video was viewed more than 250,000 times.

The backlash has continued into the new year, with police officers stationed at the school amid “allegations of antimuslim prejudice and islamophobia towards staff members”.

In a letter seen by The Telegraph, Lion Academy Trust, which runs Barclay Primary School, wrote to all parents on Jan 10, warning that a number of measures are being taken “to secure the school for the benefit of children and staff ” amid “despicable threats”.

It said that over the Christmas period, “a serious threat was received in writing” and shared with police, and that on Jan 9, an anonymous caller “made a

series of racial slurs and a further threat to commit criminal damage (arson) against the school and to individual staff ”.

Among the new measures being taken are hiring private security, securing additional support from the Metropolitan Police, closing the main reception, and installing CCTV.

It adds that “further measures” are being considered if “this situation does not revert to a normal mode of operation” or if “the safety of children or staff cannot be assured”. This means that officials will “close the school and revert to online learning for as long as we believe it is necessary”.

It concluded: “This is the option of last resort but please be aware that should staff continue to be threatened then we will have no option but to close the school.”

On Jan 8, Justin James, executive head teacher of Barclay Primary School, also wrote to parents saying that no evidence to support any allegations of bullying or misconduct had been found in external or internal investigations.

“Staff have been subject to a severe degree of misconduct and harassment which now forms the basis of a series of criminal investigations that are currently taking place,” he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a concerned staff member at the school said: “Barclay Primary School is currently being targeted by a group of parents who are pushing a political agenda and accusations of Islamophobia by not adhering to the schools uniform policy.

“Staff are being intimidated, bullied, abused, threatened and confronted as a result of misinformation and manipulation of the trust for this agenda.

“I am scared for my safety and all staff within the school. I am shocked that this is happening to a primary school... What has been happening is unacceptable for the staff and children – no school should be subjected to this.”

Barclay Primary School and Lion Academy Trust were contacted for comment.

♦ Ofsted will be allowed to pause inspections to help struggling head teachers in the wake of Ruth Perry’s suicide. The watchdog will announce a number of reforms to its inspection process today in response to a report issued by the coroner to prevent future teacher deaths. Ofsted will now provide training for inspectors to recognise signs of distress in school leaders – potentially pausing an inspection if needed – and create a process for head teachers to raise concerns about inspections.

‘Should staff continue to be threatened then we will have no option but to close the school’