BNP Teachers

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Response
Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 03/12/2009 11.56
AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team
will contact you directly with the name and contact details of the Council
Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from
releasing it by an exemption, the Council aim to provide you with the
information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 03/12/2009 11.56
AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team
will contact you directly with the name and contact details of the Council
Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from
releasing it by an exemption, the Council aim to provide you with the
information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Thank you for your question. Please take a look at these Answers from our
knowledge base that might answer your question.
Discussion Thread
Customer (Mark Walker) 03/12/2009 11.56 AM
Dear Sir or Madam,

By letter of 30 September 2009, The Secretary of State Ed Balls
appointed Maurice Smith to enquire into the "promotion of racism in
schools". Part of the review is aimed at determining whether
members of the British National Party (BNP) should be allowed to
work as teachers or in the wider school workforce.

At present there are a number of measures and safeguards in place
in place to protect children and young people in schools from
racially motivated discrimination and the promotion of political
doctrines that advocate discrimination and promote racist views.
These are:

• The requirement on schools to have equal opportunity policies

• The duty upon schools to promote racial equality

• Their duty to promote community cohesion

• The duty on governing bodies, headteachers and local authorities
to forbid the teaching of partisan political activities in schools

• The powers of the GTC (England) regarding suitability of
registration and where teacher conduct could bring the profession
into disrepute

I would like you to provide me with evidence of how effective these
measures are including whether they are sufficient to maintain
trust in the profession and protect children and young people.

Please provide the following information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

1) What evidence is there that schools’ equal opportunity policies
are effective in combating racism?
2) What are schools in your area doing to promote racial equality
and promote community cohesion? Examples of measures deemed to be
good practice and recognised as being successful would be useful.
3) Can you provide me with any evidence that the measures listed
above have been effective (if this has not already been done)?
4) Are further measures required to either maintain trust in the
teaching profession or protect children and young people?

Yours sincerely

Mark Walker
Solidarity Trade Union
www.solidaritytradeunion.org

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Question Reference No091203-000004
Date Created: 03/12/2009 11.56 AM
Last Updated: 03/12/2009 11.56 AM
Status: Correspondence team

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Response
Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 04/02/2010 10.56 AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team will contact you directly with the name and
contact details of the Council Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from releasing it by an exemption, the Council aim
to provide you with the information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 04/02/2010 10.56 AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team will contact you directly with the name and
contact details of the Council Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from releasing it by an exemption, the Council aim
to provide you with the information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Thank you for your question. Please take a look at these Answers from our knowledge base that might answer your
question.
Discussion Thread
Customer (Mark Walker) 04/02/2010 10.56 AM
Dear Enfield Council,

Your response to my request is overdue.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Walker

show quoted sections

Please see the response to your FOI request dated the 3rd December 2009
below. I can confirm that the London Borough of Enfield holds this
information. I apologise for the delay in responding to your request

1) What evidence is there that schools*** equal opportunity policies are
effective in combating racism?

Range of evidence presented indicates that schools do combat racism

* through schools self evaluation forms and community cohesion policies
* Ofsted reports - no report identifies issues under ECM outcomes -
most schools praised for provision to develop community cohesion
* very low numbers of racist incidents reported to governing bodies
* very few race hate incidents reported to hate crime forum

2) What are schools in your area doing to promote racial equality and
promote community cohesion? Examples of measures deemed to be
good practice and recognised as being successful would be useful.

All schools have race equality schemes in place and are now expected to
demonstrate how they are developing community cohesion . All are now
inspected by Ofsted. Some excellent examples presented in Ofsted reports
from primary, secondary and special schools
Measures include

* Policies that are put into practice not just left on shelves
* Zero tolerance of discrimination and bullying
* regular celebrations of diversity ie black history month and also
built into the curriculum
* positive images used in schools in displays, drama, assemblies
* Parents invited into school from all ethnic groups and support
provided to parents who need interpreters etc
* opportunities to share culture events ie food, religious festivals
* RE taught well in schools
* programmes to address tensions and rapid and effective response to
incidents of discrimination
* training for school staff and governors provided by LA
* Excellent programme of international links with and between schools eg
Africa and turkey linked to town twinning
* Many Schools developing the global dimension into their curriculum

3) Can you provide me with any evidence that the measures listed above
have been effective (if this has not already been done)?

See Number One above
4) Are further measures required to either maintain trust in the teaching
profession or protect children and young people?

Answer: Any reports of incidents are regularly monitored and followed up.
Training programmes are identified in response to need and feed back from
schools

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your
original letter and should be addressed to:

Complaints
PO Box 63
Civic Centre
Silver Street
Enfield
EN1 3XW

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications. (Ref: FOI9/ECSL/104)
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner***s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

Sam Buckley
Senior Information Officer
London Borough of Enfield

show quoted sections

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