A former Ofsted chief has warned about a “worrying lack of recognition of antisemitism in the education sector” days after the watchdog cleared a school that blocked a visit from a Jewish, pro-Israel MP.
Baroness Speilman, chief inspector at Ofsted from 2017-2023, said the failure was especially apparent when Jew-hate was “cloaked in activism for politically favoured causes”.
She spoke to the JC following the controversy over Brunel Bristol Academy’s decision to block a visit by local MP Damien Egan.
A follow-up Ofsted report on the school declared that it showed “no evidence of partisan political views” and that its leaders “ensure political impartiality in the curriculum and teaching”.
However, the JC revealed that Ofsted did not speak to Egan as part of its investigation.
Additionally, the report did not specifically mention a social media post by the local teachers’ union which boasted about the Labour MP’s visit being cancelled “after concerns were raised by the NEU trade union staff group, parents and local constituents”.
The post attacked Egan over his role as vice chair of Labour Friends of Israel, adding that he “has visited Israel since the current onslaught on Gaza began, demonstrating his support”.
The Jewish Leadership Council criticised investigation saying: “The specific decision to postpone the MP’s visit was not the subject of the inspection.
"The inspection sought to examine how the school is run day to day in line with statutory duties on political impartiality, curriculum breadth and pupils’ personal development.”
Ofsted had been explicit that the aim had not been to investigate the decision over Egan’s visit.
Speilman, who became a Conservative peer in May last year, offered some sympathy for her former employers.
“It’s a national problem that no one has the powers, the tools and the budget to investigate a concern like this properly. Ofsted doesn’t, though many people think it should.
“But even if it did, the people doing the investigations would have to be knowledgeable about the specific issues and also courageous to step into such a politicised arena. And they would need to know that the government would stand behind their findings, however unpalatable they might be to some factions.”
Both the prime minister and education secretary have promised robust action since the Egan incident was first raised by Steve Reed, the communities secretary, in early January.
Sir Keir Starmer told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this month: “We will be holding those to account who prevented this visit to this school.”
The academy trust responsible for Brunel Bristol Academy, the Cabot Learning Federation, has commissioned an independent investigation examining the circumstances surrounding the block on Egan’s visit after being told to do so by the education secretary.
Separately, the Department for Education is set to review its approach to preventing antisemitism in schools and colleges and is expected to set out more details “in due course”.
Spielman’s comments follow the news that the leadership of the National Education Union (NEU) brought in a top KC to investigate claims of “institutional antisemitism” within its ranks.
The JC also revealed that NEU members in Bristol previously shared lesson plans days after October 7 asking pupils if they would “fight back” if they lived in Gaza, but this was not endorsed by the union’s leadership nationally.
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