BNP Teachers

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Dear Mr Walker
I am writing further to your email below. I will take each of your
questions in turn (please note that some of your questions seek opinion and
not fact so do not fall under FOI which is all about access to 'recorded'
information).

1) What evidence is there that schools’ equal opportunity policies
are effective in combating racism?
All our schools are subject to detailed Ofsted inspections and
non-compliance would be raised as an issue.
All incidents of a racist nature must be reported centrally (see links
below to website pages on how to report incidents and to the latest
monitoring report which went to Committee in September 2009).
All Dorset trained teachers and NQTs are made aware of the EO and Racism
legislation and such that they should be extremely sensitive to it in
schools.
However, there can be no definitive answer to this question as it is
phrased as the EO policies will be supported by other factors - teachers,
ECM parents etc - and "combating" is too open a term for us to give an
assured answer. It would be difficult to say that EO policies alone were
driving the fight against 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.

Schools engage in a variety of activities to promote global awareness,
racial equality and community cohesion. These are too many to list
separately, but we encounter examples in assemblies, charity work, fund
raising, food technology, RE, music, youth parliaments, language teaching,
school trips, English Literature and so forth. The promotion of diversity
is built in to the curriculum and out of school activities but schools
approach it in different ways.
defining "success" in these activities is difficult - do we mean good
engagement, good understanding of the issues, enjoyment or perhaps changing
of attitudes over time and into adulthood?

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

Sorry, but what measures of success would you use? Clearly one can always
do more, but understanding diversity (as opposed to just racism) is a
complex and multifaceted issue.

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

There are two questions here.
Within Dorset we do not have a recognisable problem in maintaining the
trust in the teaching profession. Our schools are successful and popular
and the staff generally well backed by parents.
Protecting children and young people is something we continue to try to
improve: ECM and within it, Child Protection, are important and topical
themes which we will continue to work towards.

For more definitive answers you will need to address schools directly or
approach Ofsted for a summary of their findings.

http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?ar...
http://www1.dorsetforyou.com/Council/COM...

I hope this information is useful to you, and completes your request for
information. If you are not completely satisfied with my response, please
contact me again, or write to the complaints officer at: Dorset County
Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XJ. Or you
can follow the complaints procedure that can be found on our website
www.dorsetforyou.com at http://212.104.140.176/index.jsp?article...
If your appeal is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to
apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Team
Dorset County Council

Mark Walker
<request-24797-2f
cd0b8f@whatdothey To
know.com> FOI requests at Dorset County
Council <[Dorset County Council request email]>
17/12/2009 10:15 cc

Subject
Freedom of Information request -
BNP Teachers

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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