Schools told to root out activist teachers who indoctrinate kids

SCHOOLS are to be ordered to root out teacher activists who indoctrinate children with their political ideology.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi is due to release rules this week which target biased lessons.

It comes after a Nottingham school tweeted how it had encouraged ten and 11-year-olds to write letters criticising Boris Johnson.

Mr Zahawi said yesterday: ‘No school should be encouraging young people to pin their colours to a political mast. Children need to form their own views as they learn to respect those of others.’

The guidance, due to be announced on Thursday, is aimed at providing clarification for schools, and sending a ‘strong message’ of what is expected.

It is understood Mr Zahawi believes in teaching children about democracy, and in activities such as mock elections for older pupils.

Officials believe ‘activist teaching’ is limited to a small number of schools. However, they believe ‘clearer guidance’ is helpful for heads, especially when tackling divisive world issues.

These include the history of the British Empire and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new guidance will not stop schools teaching that racism is wrong, but it will suggest that advocating organisations with a divisive political agenda, such as Black Lives Matter, is going too far.

Mr Zahawi said yesterday in an article for the Sun on Sunday that he accepted children growing up will ‘start shaping their own political views’. Some will decide the Conservative Party is the home for them,’ he said. ‘Others will form a strong allegiance to Labour, the Greens or Lib Dems. This is all part of a democracy.’

However, he said teachers should leave it up to children to decide on these ‘big questions’ in life.

Last week Welbeck Primary in Nottingham uploaded pictures of letters written by Year 6 pupils to local Labour MP Lilian Greenwood about the PM’s role in Partygate.

One said: ‘He is a hypocrite and can no longer be trusted as our leader and should resign.’

The school wrote next to the images that Year 6 pupils were ‘angry’ with Mr Johnson for his ‘continued lying’ and ‘their trust in politicians has been damaged.’

TIME was when the unerring focus of schools was the education and intellectual development of children.

These days, instead of reading, writing and arithmetic, too many militant teachers are using the classroom to brainwash pupils in hard-Left ideology.

That one Tory-hating primary head hijacked the curriculum to encourage tenyear-olds to denounce Boris Johnson as an untrustworthy liar is deeply disturbing.

Making impressionable children parrot political messages belongs in Maoist China, not 21st century Britain.

So top marks to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi for issuing new guidance compelling schools to root out activism.

We are the first to applaud the many superb teachers who strive to push up standards. But political views should be left at the school gates.

Classrooms, after all, are for education – not indoctrination.